


A Mile in his Shoes: Uchiha Sasuke

by cousinD



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Naruto
Genre: Crossover, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Needs A Hug, Kidnapping, Magic, Ninjas - Freeform, Severus Snape Needs a Hug, Shinobi, Uchiha Sasuke Has Issues, Uchiha Sasuke Needs a Hug, Uchiha Sasuke Returns to Konoha
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 10:22:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 44,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16808758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cousinD/pseuds/cousinD
Summary: Crossover Naruto and Harry PotterWhile judging the security of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Cells 7 and 9 face school bullies, a smooth-talking wizard, an old enemy, and more as they work to complete their mission. In the meanwhile, Sasuke has inner demons to deal with.





	1. Redemption

Naruto crossover Harry Potter

I've twisted a few things in both Naruto and Harry Potter to suit the story. I hope you all enjoy.

  
Just in case some readers are unfamiliar with the Naruto world, here are a few terms that might come in useful.

  
shinobi - ninja  
Taijitsu -physical fighting  
Genjutsu - illusions and spells  
Ninjutsu - stealth skills

Chapter 1: Redemption

In the country of Fire there was a village that some called Leaf and that the villagers themselves called Konohagakure – the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

  
Konohagakure was an impressive village with sturdy buildings three or four levels tall and some estates that were the homes of the more prominent families were surrounded by vast walls. Those estates comprised of multiple houses, training facilities, and several acres of land. The streets were paved and on the exterior of all the buildings pipes and electrical wires could be seen going this way and that - a disarray of modern convenience. The village itself was located deep in an ancient forest that stretched out for many hundreds of miles in all directions. It was from the forest that the village had gotten its name as it was fairly hidden in that forest.

  
One evening, all of the village – all men, women, and children – gathered together in the massive town square in front of the home of the village leader – the Hokage. It was a momentous time and the crowd, five hundred strong, waited with baited breath, staring up at the stairway that led up to a wide landing just outside the Hokage’s home. The silence was eerie considering the size of the crowd. Even the small children seemed to feel the tension in the air and kept silent and still.

  
After a time, that tension was nearly vibrating in the air when the Hokage’s door opened and out filed several people. The first out were a boy and a girl who stood to one side with a masked man. Next came two guards in the anbu uniform of black clothes and white masks who stood on either side of the next person to out, a boy, not yet thirteen-years-old.

  
The crowd exploded, all that tension bursting out at the sight of that boy. There were screams and yelling, foul words and threats. Hate. So much hate thrown at that boy, as if he were a devil come to Earth. He stood there, pale and unmoving, and ignored it all as he stood stiff at attention with his face lowered.

  
The last to walk onto the landing brought instant silence to the crowd. They stared at her, waiting.

  
The Hokage of Konohagakure, Tsunade, a legendary shinobi of awesome power, stood tall and proud above the crowed. Her long fair hair hung around her shoulders. Any outsider who had never heard of her might have thought her a pretty woman, but no one who had ever seen her would stop their description of her at that. No, she was powerful and intelligent with a penchant for drinking and gamboling. She was far stronger than she looked and was renowned for her healing skills. So Tsunade stood on the landing outside her home and took a long moment to consider the crowed before her. She had expected them. Of course they would come. Everyone would want to hear her judgment of the boy, Uchiha Sasuke, who had betrayed his village by running away to serve a known criminal and had only been returned to them hours previously.

  
Tsunade turned from the villagers and faced Sasuke, still standing between the anbu guards. The best of the best, the anbu were the most highly skilled shinobi and were tasked with the most dangerous jobs. That included guarding criminals, such as the boy barely half their size. It made sense – Sasuke was VERY dangerous.

  
Reluctantly, after the silence had dragged on for far too long, Sasuke looked up and faced the Hokage. Let the people say what they would of him, he was no coward and would face up to what he’d done. Of course it was to be a public affair. That was the only reason that they stood in front of the crowd rather than the more usual private trials.

  
The Hokage said, in a voice loud and clear enough to be heard by everyone in the crowd, "I have questioned the prisoner.” She paused a moment. “I know what has happened and why. I am prepared to give my verdict. Cell 7,” she gestured briefly to where the boy, the girl, and the masked man stood. “Bravely went out and returned the missing-nin, Uchiha Sasuke, to us. They have begged leniency and wish to have their cellmate returned to them.” There was a chorus of jeering from the people. The Hokage frowned and they all went quiet, again. She turned to Sasuke. “Uchiha Sasuke, last heir to the Uchiha clan, you are guilty of treason against Konohagakure. Your decision to follow Orochimaru, a known missing-nin, the infamous traitor sannin, was a decision based on nothing more than your petty desire for revenge. You did not think about the welfare of the village. You didn't think about the lives of your fellow shinobi. You didn't think about the pain you would cause your own cell. You have proven yourself untrustworthy. Can you defend yourself?"

  
"I have no defense." Sasuke would not beg. Not when he knew he was in the wrong. His cellmates stood just to the side and he could see them watching him, hopeful and ready to fight. The boy was Naruto with bright blonde hair and his mouth pulled into a thin, unhappy line and his hands were fists at his sides. The girl was Sakura and her hair was pink. She shifted from side-to-side with unease. They were the same age as Sasuke and they had all been classmates before they’d been assigned to be a cell. Behind them, Kakashi-sensei, the adult in command of Cell 7, stood as silent as the grave. Kakashi-sensei’s mask that covered all of his face except one eye hid whatever he was feeling, but that one visible eye narrowed unhappily. Even with all them in his corner, Sasuke would not beg. He had done what he had done and no excuse would change that.

The Hokage put a hand on one hip and scowled at Sasuke. "The loss of your clan at the hands of your brother was a blow to our village. That you would follow him in his way of betrayal puts a damning light on your family."

  
Sasuke looked up and met her eyes. He stayed silent. She could, and should, kill him. She was more than capable of it. He wouldn't fight. He deserved it.

  
The Hokage shook her head and spoke more softly, just loudly enough for the people on the landing to hear. "You are an asset to this village, Uchiha. I'm afraid I can't give up on you just yet." She took a deep breath and turned to face the assembled village. "I have decided. Uchiha-san will be allowed to stay. He will not be persecuted. His punishment is in my hands and I will deal with him. You are all dismissed."

  
Her words didn't go over well. The crowd was angry. They began shouting and waving their fists in the air.

  
The Hokage stared at the angry crowd until they grew still and silent. When she spoke, her voice was an angry whisper. "Do you defy me?"

  
No one dared answer. No one was fool enough to try their hand against the village’s legendary warrior.

  
"Then you will accept my judgment. It is you who elected me Hokage. The Uchiha bloodline is too precious to be lost for a," she glanced at Sasuke meaningfully. "Bad decision that will not be repeated. You are dismissed!"

  
This time, the crowd obeyed and before long the gathering was gone and only the members of Cell 7 and Tsunade remained. "That wasn't wise," Sasuke told the Hokage. "You can't trust me."

  
"I don't. But your blood IS too valuable to lose. Killing you would be a waste." Her eyes were hard. "So, this is what you’re going to do. You are going to behave yourself and be a very good little soldier for Konohagakure and you will redeem yourself to the point where I can trust you. You’ll do this because if I ever have even the faintest idea that you're loyalties waver a second time, I will have you executed. You will be listed as a missing-nin and I'll have the anbu searching the world for you and if - IF - you manage to elude them," she leaned over him menacingly. "I'll kill you myself and I will make you hurt before I end you." She turned sharply and strode away.

  
Sasuke watched her walk away, then lowered his face. He would never earn back the trust he'd once enjoyed. The betrayal was too great.

  
"Sasuke? Hey, Sasuke." Sakura put her hand on his shoulder. "Come on."

  
Slowly, Sasuke looked up and met her eyes.

  
Sakura smiled at him. "You look terrible. You should take a bath and get some of the dirt and sweat off."

  
Naruto tapped his foot impatiently and shouted that he was hungry. "Come on. Come on! It's been hours since I've eaten and you look like a skeleton, stupid! It's time to eat."

  
‘It can’t be that easy,’ Sasuke thought, feeling rather dumb. ‘Just act like nothing happened?’

  
He felt cold all over and somehow lost. He WAS lost. He had been lost since the very moment when he’d made the choice to leave his friends to stand at Orochimaru’s side. How he regretted that choice! He would always regret it and never forget how terrible it had been to be under Orochimaru’s power. He’d wished to leave Orochimaru almost instantly, but the lure of the power he’d hoped to gain had been too much in the beginning and, in the end, Orochimaru had done so much damage that Sasuke was too weak to leave on his own. If it weren’t for his cell and how they’d arrived and carried Sasuke away to the safety of Konohagakure, Sasuke had no doubt that Orochimaru would have broken him beyond repair. Perhaps, he had. Perhaps Sasuke couldn’t be fixed any longer.

  
Kakashi-sensei moved forward and crossed his arms over his chest. "Time to prove the strength of the Uchiha clan. Start walking."

  
"I'm tired," Sasuke said, dully. "I'm so tired."

  
"Walk."

  
And Sasuke walked. With Sakura and Naruto on either side of him and Kakashi-sensei behind them, Sasuke walked down the stairway leading away from the Hokage’s home and to the street below. Rain started to fall. Sasuke was aware of every drop that hit him, the feel of the cold rain between his toes. He was aware of the people watching, the whispers and glares as he passed by.

  
"Just walk," Naruto told Sasuke, softly. "They'll stare and whisper. They'll yell at you and they'll try to hurt you. Keep walking. Keep your head up."

  
If there was one person who knew how to survive the distain of the villagers, it was Naruto who’d endured it his whole life. "I can do this. You don't have to walk with me." Because Sasuke knew that his cell's reputation was damaged by his crime. They would suffer for what Sasuke had done, especially if they chose to show him public support.

  
"Ah," Kakashi-sensei slapped a hand onto Sasuke's shoulder. "But we have to see that you make it home safely. The Uchiha reputation will protect you from an outright attack, but… why take chances?"

  
"Home?" Sasuke didn't want to go back to the Uchiha Compound. After his family had been killed, he’d been allowed to live in an apartment far from the Uchiha Compound, but he knew that privilege was likely gone. His previous landlord was unlikely to want him back no matter how much money was offered. But to go back to the Compound… no. Anywhere but there. He'd see them all, again. He'd see the spirits of his family. His grandmother's pleading eyes and his mother's demand that he avenge them. They would know. They'd know he'd failed in the most miserable way. He'd become just as much of a monster as Itachi.

  
Sasuke shuddered and tried to pull away from Kakashi-sensei's hand. "No. I won't go back." His eyes flew up and, in the distance through the pouring rain, he saw the high walls of the Uchiha Compound near the center of the village. The tall stone walls and narrow windows. The old, gnarled apple tree just barely peeking over the top of the massive wall. Itachi had once climbed that old apple tree to pick an apple for Sasuke and it was that same tree under which Sasuke had seen Itachi kiss his sweetheart for the first time. Itachi had taught Sasuke his first taijutsu in the shade of that tree. "I won't! Please… not there." He would rather go back to the holding room, the prison beneath the Hokage's home, with the rats and the bugs and barred door. Nothing but a bucket to relieve himself and nothing to look at but his shackled feet and his manacled hands.

  
"You will." Kakashi's voice, like his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, was hard as steel. It made Sasuke stop struggling at once and walk.

  
It seemed that they walked forever until Naruto gave Sasuke's arm a squeeze. "We're here. Home."

  
Home, Sasuke saw when he raised his eyes to look, was not the Uchiha Compound. Instead, he had been brought to a very small house like any other ordinary home in Konohagakure. It had a good sized front yard and a fresh coat of white paint. The front door was open and a recognizable figure stood there, surrounded by light from the inside. He stepped out into the rain and smiled down at Sasuke. "Welcome home, Sasuke-kun. I'm glad you've come back safely. I spoke with Kakashi earlier and we agreed that if you were released it would be best for you to have some supervision for a while rather than be left on your own. So you'll be staying with me."

  
How could anyone stand up to Iruka-sensei's smile? It made Sasuke want to burst into tears with guilt at what he’d done. Instead, Sasuke pulled carefully away from Naruto and Sakura to bow respectfully. "Thank you, sir."

  
Iruka-sensei shook his head. “Enough of that. Let’s not all stand out here in the rain. You'll catch your death's out there." Iruka-sensei made a welcoming gesture. "All of you come inside and get yourselves warm. I have hot soup and tea. Sakura-kun, you stay, too. Your parents wouldn't thank me for letting you walk home in weather like this."

  
Sasuke stepped back, away from Iruka-sensei. "I don't want to be a bother, sir."

  
"Stay where you are,” Iruka-sensei said. “It's all been decided. We have plenty of room. Right, Naruto?"

  
"Right!" Naruto took hold of Sasuke's arm and tugged at him. "Come on. Get in. I'm soaking!"

  
Sakura politely refused Iruka-sensei's offer. She was expected home and it wasn't a far walk. She would be by in the morning to visit. Kakashi-sensei also bowed and turned around. He had things to take care of. He, too, would visit later.

  
Hesitantly, Sasuke allowed himself to be led into Iruka-sensei's home. Almost at once, Naruto hurried into another room. Left alone with Iruka-sensei, Sasuke took a moment to look around. It was a small home, but warm and clean. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were all in a single open room. In the living room, there was a woven rug on the wooden floor and paintings of different landscapes on the walls along with a sofa and few chairs gathered around a low table. The dining room was nothing more than a small square table with four chairs. The kitchen was modest; just a stove and oven, a sink and some cabinets. There was a small refrigerator in the corner and a door to the left of the stove. There was the smell of food and smoke from the stove.

  
It wasn't the first time Sasuke had been in Iruka-sensei's home. The first time had been long ago. He'd been there before - a time he didn't want to remember. A time when he could only smell blood…a time when his brother's soft words echoed in his mind. After Itachi’s betrayal, Iruka-sensei had welcomed Sasuke into his home until a better arrangement was found. Iruka-sensei's home was the same as Sasuke remembered it. The man didn't change much. It had been more than two years since… that time.

  
“Thank you, sir,” Sasuke said to Iruka-sensei, sincerely. “It’s been a long time since I was here. I won’t be a burden this time.”

  
“You were never a burden.”

  
“I was a mess. I couldn’t stop crying.”

  
“You were a hurt, grieving child. If you hadn’t been a mess, I would have been worried.”

  
“I thought…” Sasuke hesitated, unsure if he should say anything. “I thought I was a burden to you. People kept coming by and disturbing you just to see me or talk about me. I thought if I was gone they’d leave you alone so I wanted to leave.”

  
Iruka-sensei wrinkled his nose, as if he smelled something bad. “Yes, well, I had words with our previous Hokage about the wisdom of letting little children live all by themselves. Not that it did any good. Apparently, I’m just a teacher and clearly don’t know what’s best for children. You and Naruto living alone without anyone to look after you… what a foolish notion. And as I said, you were never a burden. Those people should have had better manners than to come around troubling a traumatized child. You are no more a burden than Naruto is.”

  
Sasuke suddenly wished that the Hokage had listened to Iruka-sensei. He had a sneaking suspicion that things would have turned out very differently if he’d had Iruka-sensei as his guardian for the past two years.

  
"I'm sorry." Iruka-sensei's eyebrows drew together when he looked at Sasuke. "Whatever you had to go through with Orochimaru, I'm sorry. I'm glad it's over and you're home."

  
It wasn't over. He was still marked by the curse, three black marks on the side of his neck, and Orochimaru was still on the loose. "Sir, I'm serious. You don't have to trouble yourself for me. I've survived alone this long. I'll manage on my own."

  
Iruka-sensei shook his head. "Naruto's in the bedroom. I only have two, I'm afraid. You'll have to share with Naruto."

  
"Share?"

  
"Yes, share. It’s not big, but you’ll have a safe, warm place to sleep. I’m sorry to say it’s all I can offer you. Are you hungry? As I said, I have food and a hot drink for you."

  
"No, sir. I want to wash." He’d felt dirty for such a long time.

  
"I understand." Iruka-sensei looked sad. "You're too skinny, though. You've lost a lot of your muscle."

  
Had he? Sasuke hadn't noticed. He'd thought that it was Naruto who'd grown. "I'll eat if you want me to."

  
"No. If you're not hungry right now, that's understandable. But in the morning, you'll have breakfast with us. Understood?"

  
"Yes, sir."

  
Naruto come into the room through the door next to the stove with all his usual energy. He took Sasuke's arm and gave him an encouraging pull. "This way. You can bunk up with me. Iruka told you, didn’t he? He gave me a great room; you’ll like it here. This is the best place to live!" Before pulling Sasuke away, Naruto paused to hug Iruka-sensei. It seemed strange. Sasuke wouldn't have done it. He didn't even like touching other people. Naruto did it so easily, though.

  
Great the bedroom might have been, but not big. Compared to what Sasuke had been used to at the Uchiha Compound, the bedroom was little more than a closet. There was a little bed and a striped rug on the floor. There was a wooden dresser under the window and a bushy potted plant on the dresser.

  
"This is…yours?" Sasuke didn't move from the doorway. It didn't look like he thought Naruto's room would look. It was impeccably clean. The floor was swept. There were no dirty clothes thrown on the floor. The bed was neatly made.

  
Naruto seemed to understand and he laughed, giving Sasuke a poke in the back. "Go on. Get in. Yeah, it's mine. Don't look at me like that. Iruka gave it to me. I'm not about to make it a mess." He kicked off his boots then sat on the bed and stretched out his legs. "Sit. I don't let just anyone in here, you know."

  
Sasuke sat next to Naruto on the bed. "I thought you had an apartment."

  
"I did. The old Hokage gave it to me since no one would take me in. It's better here. We'll have to get you a bed. Iruka will make you do chores, but it's not bad. You'll like it here."

  
"I think the villagers will kill me."

  
Naruto's easy smile vanished and he scowled at his lap. "You did some awful things."

  
"I know."

  
"Come on. I'll show you where you can shower. You smell like a wet dog."

To be continued…

Author’s Note:

  
I’m very pleased to announce that I am posting an original novel, The Paper Treasure, on Patreon. My name on that site is Mehitable Hatch. There are already a couple of chapters available and I intend to post one chapter a week until The Paper Treasure is finished.

  
Summary of The Paper Treasure:

In 1665, in the city of Port Royal, Elmore Finch found himself neck-deep in trouble when a broken spyglass put his family in grave danger from a killer who valued it more than life. After a friend, an unrepentant pirate, is accused of murder Elmore goes hunting for the true killer in order to save his friend from swinging on the hangman's noose. During that hunt, Elmore uncovers the secret of the broken spyglass.


	2. The Mission

Chapter 2: The Mission

Six months later-

Every night, Sasuke forced himself to stay awake as long as he possibly could. It was a habit he'd developed as a child, waiting for his beloved big brother, Itachi, to return home from this mission or that. Later, he would stay up studying his lessons and, after Itachi's betrayal, he stayed up out of fear of falling asleep and witnessing his brother's crimes in his nightmares. Six months of living with Iruka-sensei and Naruto hadn't changed Sasuke's habit. Only the nightmares had changed.

"Kakashi says you'll wear yourself out if you don't start sleeping more," Naruto muttered as he buttoned his pajama shirt.

Unlike his normal bright orange clothes, Naruto’s pajamas were plain dark blue with white buttons. The pant legs were hemmed up. They had once been Iruka-sensei's. Although he was respected in the village, Iruka-sensei was not a rich man. Hand-me-downs were common in his home. They didn’t have to be, Sasuke was the sole heir of the Uchiha vast fortune, after all, and could have bought everyone in the household new clothes without any effort at all. But Iruka-sensei disapproved and insisted that Sasuke save his money for his future.

“It’s an adults job to provide, Sasuke,” Iruka-sensei had insisted no more than a day after Sasuke had started living with him and Naruto. “You let me worry about food and clothes and other such things and keep your money for when you’re an adult. You’ll be glad of it, someday.”

Sasuke had also taken to sharing clothes with Naruto. They were close enough in size that it saved a lot of space in their small room. It only made sense, Naruto and Sasuke had quietly agreed. Iruka-sensei was kind enough to take them in. Why should they burden him with the cost of so much clothes when they could make do by sharing? They ended up sharing almost everything except Naruto's orange jumpsuit and Sasuke's shirt with the Uchiha clan emblem on the back.

It almost made Sasuke laugh to think of how horrified his father would have been to know Sasuke wore cast-offs from the poor village teacher.

“Are you even listening to me?” Naruto interrupted Sasuke’s thoughts and sat on his bed. He frowned at Sasuke. “Kakashi isn’t happy that you don’t sleep enough and Iruka thinks you’re going to make yourself sick if you don’t take better care of yourself.”

He hadn’t wanted to make anyone worry for him. “I can’t sleep.” Dressed in his own faded blue pajamas, Sasuke sat cross-legged on the bed Iruka-sensei had given him with a book on his lap. Sasuke had read it three times. He wanted a new book, but he couldn't bring himself to go back to the Uchiha Compound for either the books in his mother's library or the money kept at the Compound so he could buy new books.

"Suit yourself," Naruto said, doubtfully. "You always do. I'll find you asleep with that book still on your lap in the morning and Iruka will yell at you for staying up all night, again." He crawled into bed and snuggled in, curling the blankets around himself until he was nearly cocooned and only the top of his spiky blonde hair showed. He did the same thing every night, as if he felt some undeniable need to shield himself. "See you in the morning."

Not too long after that, Sasuke heard Naruto's familiar, soft snoring.

He still shared a room with Naruto, but Sasuke had found, over time, that the room was comforting and cozy rather than cramped. There were now two beds, each one pushed up against an opposite wall and, between them, a rug and a single window on the wall under which was a small table. They had a few other little things, of course. At the foot of each bed was a chair where spare clothes were neatly folded. There were a few books in a pile under the little table, and a shinobi's usual cache of weaponry and scrolls tucked under each of their beds. There was no clutter; neither of them were the type to collect useless little things. It was modest, but it was home.

The house was quiet. Sasuke could hear crickets singing outside the open window and soft voices of people who went about their business. The clock on the little table ticked steadily and it was that ticking that Sasuke would blame for lulling him to sleep every night. Shortly, he had unwillingly fallen asleep, again.

Dreaming, Sasuke found himself on his knees in the darkness.

"Pretty." Cool, dry hands stroked Sasuke's cheeks. "My pretty. Aren't you beautiful? So perfect." The hands roamed into his hair, delicately touching his ears and the back of his neck. When those awful fingers brushed against the curse mark on the side of his throat, Sasuke felt it grow warm. "Look at me, pretty shinobi. Look at me."

Sasuke didn't want to. He was afraid of the voice. He wanted to be home. He wanted his mother to be sitting in her study lost in some book. He wanted his father to be worrying about the apple trees in the garden not bearing fruit. He wanted Itachi to swing him in his arms like he used to.

"Look at me, my Sasuke."

Orochimaru was not ugly, but he made Sasuke cringe. The pallid skin and inhuman eyes, the long tongue that slipped out of his mouth was all somehow revolting. Worst of all was Orochimaru's soft, silky voice. Sasuke trembled. 

"Yes." Orochimaru never took his hands away from Sasuke. "Be afraid of me, but only me. Perfect in every way." He laughed and his hands tightened on Sasuke's face. His long fingers dug into Sasuke's skin until Sasuke cried out in pain. There was a wrenching, tearing sensation. Such pain that Sasuke thought he would lose his mind.

His face was off. His face - a limp, wilted mask of bloody skin - was in Orochimaru's hands.

Orochimaru kept laughing and held up Sasuke's torn-off face against his own. It grew to fit Orochimaru's head. Orochimaru smiled with Sasuke's lips. He blinked with Sasuke's eyes. When he laughed, it was with Sasuke's voice. "I have what I want. You can die, now."

Sasuke woke in a cold sweat, panting heavily. He was slumped over on the bed. He sat up at once and struggled to convince himself that it had only been a vivid nightmare, nothing more. The nightmare was almost always the same. Orochimaru was always stealing his face.

The crickets still sang. The moon hadn't moved, much. Naruto still snored. Sasuke couldn’t have been asleep more than an hour, but perhaps that would be enough to satisfied Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei. Sasuke had slept a little, after all, so perhaps he wouldn’t get a scolding.

Sasuke inhaled to calm himself. He squeezed his eyes tightly closed, but couldn’t bear the darkness and opened them at once so he could see the moon.

The book he’d been reading had fallen onto the floor from Sasuke's lap while he'd slept but Sasuke didn't immediately move to retrieve it. Instead, he just sat there and stared at Naruto, peacefully sleeping. The blanket cocoon had fallen apart and Naruto lay sprawled out on his narrow bed. He looked comfortable and at ease. Was he plagued by nightmares? Did the fox demon locked inside him, Kyuubi, haunt his dreams? Surely… it must. Yet, Naruto slept on without so much as a twitch to signal any disturbance of his sleep.

Sasuke envied Naruto. He was so much stronger than Sasuke would ever be. How Sasuke had ever thought Naruto was weak was a mystery.

The sound of a knock on the front door drew Sasuke away from his thoughts. He frowned. No one would visit so late unless it was an emergency and if it were an emergency, it would sound a bit more urgent, surely. Kakashi-sensei would have just snuck in. Maybe it was Sakura. She would knock, but not if it were an emergency. If there was no emergency, she wouldn’t have come by in the middle of the night.

Curious and cautious, Sasuke left the bedroom after stopping to put on his bathrobe. Unlike most everything else Iruka-sensei had been able to give them, the bathrobe was new. It was also a match to Naruto's. It was sturdy and warm, dark green with a black belt to hold it closed. It was not stylish or a fine make. It was the first gift anyone had given Sasuke since his family's mass murder.

"You don't have to," Sasuke had told Iruka-sensei when he and Naruto had been given the robes. He held the gift awkwardly, uneasy about taking yet another something from a man who had so little to give away.

Iruka-sensei brushed Sasuke's words aside. "Humor me. It's not as if they're expensive." He blushed a little at that and Sasuke knew Iruka-sensei had gone shopping at the discount racks at the store, again. It wasn't fair. He was the best sensei in the village. They ought to pay him more. "Really, you and Naruto could afford to buy better ones for yourselves if you took the time to go shopping. You two would walk around in rags if I let you."

"Then let me repay you. You shouldn't spend your money…"

Naruto pushed passed Sasuke and eagerly snatched his robe from Iruka-sensei's hands. He hugged it as if he were a little child getting a new toy. He rubbed his face against it. "Thank you! Thank you! It's the best!"

In the light that shone in Iruka-sensei's eyes, Sasuke saw something that surprised him. Iruka-sensei was happy. He was glad to spend money on them. Even if it meant he had to do without something for himself, Iruka-sensei really wanted to do this which meant he wanted to have them around. Sasuke squeezed the green robe in his hands and quietly thanked Iruka-sensei. He felt humbled and grateful that anyone would give him such consideration. It had been years since he’d felt such warmth in his heart. After that, he never protested when Iruka-sensei wanted to give them something.

Sasuke walked down the short hall to the house’s main room with the living room and kitchen and the front door. Iruka-sensei came out of his room just as Sasuke passed by. Rather than be surprised to find Sasuke in the hall, Iruka-sensei ruffled his hair and sleepily said, ‘I’ll get the door.”

Sasuke lingered in the hall, just near enough to watch Iruka-sensei open the door and hear what was said. 

"It's late for a mission." Iruka-sensei spoke softly to the visitor. "You couldn't have come in the morning?"

"I need to deliver orders to the Cell leaders when Godaime Hokage gives it to me,” an unfamiliar voice said. “If her schedule doesn't suit you, take it up with her. Is Hatake-san here?"

"I'll see that Kakashi gets it." Iruka-sensei held out his hand for the message scroll and the messenger handed it over without question before he turned and walked off. Without turning around, Iruka-sensei said, "You heard, Sasuke?"

Sasuke abandoned his silence. "I did. I'll wake Naruto."

Iruka-sensei looked at him with a smile. "You're a good boy, Sasuke. Thank you."

It made Sasuke pause. "Why do you say that?" It wasn't the first time Iruka-sensei had said such a thing in the months Sasuke had been living in his home. "I'm not good. Everyone knows it. After what I did, how can you even pretend?"

"We’ve talked about this, remember? You made a mistake. A very bad mistake. But, you're only thirteen. You're a child when it comes right down to it. You regret what you did and you won't do it again." Iruka-sensei looked sad. "As for what everyone knows, everyone knows that Naruto is an evil demon. Do you believe that?"

"No. Of course not."

"Then I suggest you make up your own mind about Naruto and yourself. ‘Everyone' is not always right. Go on and get Naruto."

"Yes, sir."

With the scroll in one hand, Iruka-sensei left Sasuke in the hall and went back into his bedroom. Before he closed the door behind him, Sasuke heard, "Kakashi…come on. Get up. I know you heard everything."

Kakashi? Sasuke stared at Iruka-sensei's closed bedroom door and frowned. Since when had Kakashi-sensei started spending the night?

Naruto, rubbing his eyes and yawning, stumbled out of their bedroom. "What's going on? I heard voices."

"You sleep like the dead," Sasuke commented, idly. "We have a mission. You might want to get dressed."

"Does Sakura-chan know?" Naruto asked, suddenly wide awake.

"I suppose not. We can fetch her on the way to the Hogake's palace."

At that moment, Kakashi-sensei strolled out of Iruka-sensei's bedroom, buckling his vest and adjusting his mask. "Hello, sleep-heads. Get what you need. We're off as soon as I've had some coffee."

Naruto looked at Kakashi-sensei as he went into the kitchen, then at Iruka-sensei who stood awkwardly in his bedroom door, blushing slightly. Naruto looked back at Kakashi-sensei, then back to Iruka-sensei. One could practically see the dots being connected. Light dawned in his eyes and Naruto's mouth fell open. He gaped at Iruka-sensei. "Hey! Hey! When….? What…?"

Kakashi-sensei laughed. "Tsk, tsk. Iru, you're neglecting your parental responsibilities if Naruto doesn't know what…"

"You shut up!" Iruka-sensei's face couldn't possibly get redder. "He knows! Look, Naruto, I wasn't keeping... ah," he gestured at Kakashi-sensei then at himself. "I wasn't keeping US a secret. It just… happened."

No. It didn't just happen. Everyone in the whole village knew about the scandalously bold affair. Iruka-sensei, the modest, sweet-natured sensei, had snared the most eligible bachelor in Konohagakure. One of the most feared shinobi in the world was finally settling down. Almost everyone in the village had seen the two of them going out to dinner, painting Iruka-sensei's house, and doing the grocery shopping. It was hardly a secret. The whole situation sent the romantics of the village into a tizzy of soppy sighs. No, what had 'just happened' was Kakashi-sensei spending the night.

Naruto turned his shocked expression to Kakashi-sensei where it became a glare. He looked like he would say something, but suddenly grabbed Sasuke's sleeve and pulled him back into their bedroom. They got dressed without saying much of anything and only when they were ready to leave the room did Naruto say, "If they get married, do you think it'll be Hatake Iruka or Umino Kakashi?"

"You think they will get married?"

That made Naruto scowl deeper and he fiddled his hitae, the headband he wore that sported the symbol of Konohagakure. "Kakashi's not good enough. Old pervert."

"They've been dating for months. Iruka-sensei must see the good in him."

"Iruka-sensei has worse judgment than I'd thought. Come on. Let's go."

Outside the Hokage's office, Sasuke was surprised to find another Cell waiting. Maito Gai-san, the leader of Cell 9, along with his students, Neji Hyuuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten, all looked up when Cell 7 entered. For a moment, they stared at each other. Gai-san, naturally, was the first to break the silence.

“Good evening, my best rival!” He fairly shouted at Kakashi-sensei. “How splendid to see you and your students at such an hour. Have you been summoned for a mission, as well? My students are eager and ready to take on whatever challenge the Hokage is so kind as to give them!” Like Kakashi-sensei, Gai-san held the rank of jonin, a much higher rank than Sasuke and his Cellmates held.

Neji glared at Sasuke. Well… he glared as well as a Hyuuga could, considering that their eyes were entirely white. The entire clan was like that, it was their most prominent trait. His hair was very long and he stood with a cool arrogance that spoke clearly of how highly he thought of himself. Neji had earned the right to that arrogance as he was easily considered the best of the best, the most skilled of the young shinobi. When he grew up he would be a truly terrifying opponent.

Sasuke could remember a time when he'd felt superior, too.

Tenten, the only girl on Cell 9, rolled her eyes at her sensei’s outburst and smiled politely at Cell 7. She was thin, almost as narrow as a boy. She wore her hair in two practical buns on either side of her head. While she chatted with Lee, her fingers were twisting thin, flexible strands of wire into intricate, spider-web patterns. She would look admiringly at what she'd done, then let the strings fall apart and rebuild. Her skills with weapons – any weapons – were incredible.

The last member of Cell 9 was Rock Lee. He looked like a miniature Gai-san with bowl-cut black hair, large black eyes, and impressively large eyebrows. He even dressed like his sensei in an all green jumpsuit. It was very plain to see how he admired his sensei. Lee laughed at something Tenten said, then gave a brief nod of acknowledgement at Cell 7.

Kakashi-sensei pretended to ignore them all.

"Hey, hey," Naruto poked at Sasuke's arm. "You all right?"

"Fine."

"You're staring at them."

Sasuke took the not too subtle hint and looked away from Cell 9. He waited patiently while Kakashi-sensei and Gai-san bantered and while Sakura and Naruto bickered. After a time, the Hokage's assistant opened the office door and asked them all to enter. The two Cells filed into the office in two straight lines with their jonin at the head of each line. Once they stood before the Hokage's desk, they formed up into one straight line and waited for her to speak.

Tsunade didn't speak for a long while, just kept signing this paper or that, handing each finished one to her quiet assistant.

Everyone waited patiently…everyone but Naruto. Sasuke was reasonably convinced that Naruto couldn’t be quietly patient. Naruto tapped his foot and grew red in the face at the effort of keeping his temper. It didn't last too long. "Hey! Old woman!"

"Twenty-eight seconds." Tsunade absently threw her pen and struck Naruto on the forehead. "I was wondering how long you could hold out before you lost your temper. Now, to business. Thank you for coming so quickly." The Hokage smiled all around and her eyes passed over Sasuke with barely a flicker. He still was under suspicion, but an important mission successfully completed would go a long ways to proving his trustworthiness. "I apologize to you both, Kakashi and Gai, for sending the messages so late at night, but this mission is going to be a long one and I wanted to get all of you started as soon as possible."

Two cells for a single mission. That wasn't customary.

"Let's just hear the details, Tsunade," Kakashi-sensei said.

"Show some respect, brat," the Hokage told him, crossly. She picked up two scrolls, handing one each to the Cell leaders before she unrolled a third one. "Those are maps to the destination. The mission has been commissioned by the headmaster of a school in a far off nation. He fears a civil war and worries for the safety of his students while they are at school. You have three weeks to judge the security of his school." She looked down at the scroll on her desk and ran her finger down the writing as she spoke. "This is to be an observation mission only. There must be no harm done to students or faculty. In fact, the client has stated that it would be for the best if your presence is kept secret."

"Three weeks?" Naruto was the first one to speak and stuck his hands in his pockets and slouched to show his displeasure with the assignment. "What do we need three weeks for?"

Sasuke agreed with Naruto. Three weeks for just a security check on a school? "A week, tops." It was almost as good as an insult. In fact, just Cell 7 should be able to do it in a day or two which begged the question, why were they being paired with Gai-san’s team?

"Apparently," the Hokage answered, watching both Cells. "The client believes there is simply too much work to be done in a short time and has therefore stipulated the three week time period. How you use that time is up to the discretion of your Cell leaders."

Neji spoke up for the first time since they’d arrived at the Hokage’s palace with his arms crossed over his chest. He was never one to mince words. "Why is this a double mission? Why two cells when one could easily complete the mission?"

"Again, the client's request and, again, he seemed to think this is too big for one Cell when I told him each Cell had four members. He paid for two Cells," the Hokage assured him. "Besides, this is a B-rank mission so it won't hurt for you to have back up."

"Of course," Kakashi-sensei said, his fingers lingering on his favorite book. "A little security never hurt anyone and I'm sure my Cell can make use of these other ones." He wasn't quite insulting about it, but Neji bristled and even the good-tempered Tenten scowled at him. Lee, for all his rashness, said nothing but waited to see what his sensei would do.

"No!" Gai-san threw a fist into the air, dramatically. "You will see! It is your Cell that will have to follow the lead of my most extraordinary Cell! How dare you suggest that your Cell - though bright they are in their youthful glory - is in anyway superior to mine!"

After he'd finished, but before Kakashi-sensei could reply, Tenten reached out a hand to Sakura. "Nice to be working with you. I'm sure we'll get on well. Maybe we should talk about Cell dynamics later and figure out how best to work everyone."

"Good idea. Naruto's not exactly suited for espionage, but he's a real powerhouse in a crisis." Sakura took the offered hand and the girls shook. "Sasuke makes up for it, though."

"Neji's good at observation, too. You can't ask for more brute strength than Lee. So, is yours always like this?" She indicated Kakashi-sensei.

"Yup. Yours?"

"Oh, yes. Usually worse. He's showing restraint today. Good work, sir." She smiled with pride at her sensei and gave him a thumbs-up.

Gai-san matched the proud smile easily and returned Tenten’s thumbs-up. "Thank you!"

The Hokage smiled. "There is little expected danger, but as the mission will take place within a known zone of terrorist activity the high ranking was justified."

It was sounding more and more interesting as the Hokage spoke, but Sasuke didn't let himself get too excited - unlike Naruto who was practically bouncing up and down with pent up energy - because there were always catches. Simple missions always turned into life or death missions so a B-ranked mission would turn into…what? A-rank with possible end of the world scenario? That could be interesting.

"It will be an extended mission," the Hokage told them. "While there are no expected enemies to battle with, it is in a land reasonably far away. Going at full speed, it will take you one week to get there. All in all, you'll be gone for a month. The client has paid half in advance; you will collect the second half of the payment after the mission has been completed."

The mission was accepted with Kakashi-sensei's mute nod and Gai-san's loud exclamation that they WOULD succeed.

Sasuke struggled to maintain his dignity and not smile. He was happy to be leaving Konohagakure. He was happy that for about a month he wouldn't have to deal with the hateful glares and whispers. He was happiest most of all that he wouldn't have to look at the Uchiha Compound every time he left Iruka-sensei's home. He'd come to hate the place over the years. Even in the past few months of living under Iruka-sensei's roof, Sasuke couldn't escape the Uchiha Compound. It was a giant, squat monstrosity that was visible from almost every point in the village. Sasuke's ancestors couldn't have thought that their ego inspired home would be nothing but a horror for the last of the Uchiha's.

Gai-san smiled broadly and slapped Kakashi-sensei on the back. "We'll make a fine team, my best rival! And our Cells will bond even closer together. To bond and work together is the greatest goal of any man!"

"Excuse me?" Tenten said, rather pointedly.

"And woman, of course!" Gai-sensei added without missing a beat. "I wouldn't forget my dear kunochi, one of the most skilled of all Konohagakure, the lovely flower of womanhood. You would be impossible to forget."

Again, Tenten addressed Sakura. "If he didn't talk like that to everyone, I'd think he was a dirty old pervert."

Sakura gave Kakashi-sensei a disapproving look and Sasuke knew that she was thinking about their sensei’s questionable reading material. She said nothing, of course. He glanced at Naruto who had taken to scowling at Kakashi-sensei, again. He was likely thinking of how he didn’t think Kakashi-sensei was worthy of Iruka-sensei. He, too, said nothing. Of course none of them would speak against their sensei to outsiders. It was unthinkable. Even when Sasuke had been with Orochimaru, he’d never once spoke poorly of anyone in his Cell. There was no order against doing such a thing, but for Cell 7 it just wasn’t done to speak against your own in public.

The Hokage cleared her throat which drew attention back to herself. "You have three weeks starting from the moment you arrive at the client’s school. Use any methods you see fit within the parameters. Dismissed."

To be continued…


	3. Farewells

Chapter 3: Farewells

The two Cells silently left the Hokage's office quietly, but the silence ended as soon as her office doors closed behind them and they were alone in the corridor with no one but the two guards standing at her door to see them.

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and stated, "I can NOT leaving without saying goodbye to Iruka-sensei! I absolutely have to see him." He cast a vile look at Kakashi. "You don't have to come."

Kakashi laughed happily. "Ah, but Iruka would miss me terribly if I didn't give him a goodbye kiss. We’ll probably get mushy and start calling each other pet-names, too. Maybe he’ll make a boxed lunch to take with me."

Naruto made a gagging sound then pointed at Kakashi with a savagely shaking finger. "You…You…You had better treat him good or I'll kill you myself!" And anyone with an ounce of sense would not doubt Naruto's promise. In fact, Sasuke knew that he would probably help Naruto. If Kakashi-sensei was just playing around with Iruka-sensei there would be a great many young genin and chuunin out for Kakashi's guts on a platter. Of course, it was entirely possible that Kakashi-sensei was sincere in his admiration for Iruka-sensei, but Sasuke had always had a hard time judging people’s character so he couldn’t tell. He would discuss it later with Sakura who always seemed to understand people.

Kakashi-sensei laughed at Naruto. “Always so full of energy. Don’t get yourself so worked up.” He then addressed Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto. “You all go get ready and we’ll meet at Iruka’s house in one hour. Remember, this is a long-term assignment so bring your rations and your go-bags. You should all have a change of clothes and…” He let his voice trailed off and waited expectantly for them to finish his sentence.

All three of his students chorused, “First aid kits and extra weapons.”

“Correct. You all get a reward for remembering.” Kakashi-sensei gave them each a pat on the top of the head. “Good job.”

Sasuke felt his heart swell at the praise. 

Kakashi-sensei continued, “Now, you all go take care of that and I’ll go say my own good-byes."

"Right you are!" Gai-san readily agreed. “I, too, must make my own preparations and must tearfully separate myself from my dear students for a time, though it breaks my heart to do so! We shall reconvene at Umino-sensei's home in one hour. Please be prompt and bring what you'll need. Your spirit! Your vigor! Your youthful energy!" He laughed and strode away walking side-by-side with Kakashi-sensei for a short while before they broke apart and went in different directions.

"Your sensei’s weird," Naruto said, shaking his head.

Neji looked down his nose at Naruto and said, "We don't make comments about your sensei no matter how strange he is." His eyes, intimidating at the best of times, narrowed threateningly. "At least our 'weird' sensei is good enough to keep his students loyal to…"

"Enough." Lee stepped forward and took hold of Neji's arm, giving him a little pull. "That's enough. We should go."

"Enough?" Naruto bristled and clenched his hands into fists. "Your mouth's bigger than mine, Hyuuga. Don't you dare say it. Don't you dare."

Sakura shook her head and pulled on Naruto's arm, much like Lee was doing to Neji. "Don't do it. This isn't the way to start a mission together. We have to work together. Let's go."

It was good that Lee had spoken up. Sasuke wouldn't deny what he'd done, but he didn't want Kakashi-sensei blamed for it; it wasn't his fault. It had been Sasuke's decision to take the path he'd taken. No one else should be blamed for his stupidity.

"I'm just pointing out the truth," Neji told Naruto. "The truth cannot be denied, no matter how ugly. If Hatake-san had better control over his Cell, Sasuke wouldn't have…"

"But I would have." Sasuke's voice seemed to startled everyone and they all looked at him at once. "It was my choice. I knew what I was doing. I thought I knew. Kakashi-sensei couldn't have stopped me so don't involve him. It's got nothing to do with Naruto, either." Sasuke moved to stand in front of Naruto. "If you're trying to pick a fight, pick it with me."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "All this testosterone is about to make me ill." She turned on her heel and started walking away. Lee gave Neji's arm another tug before the two boys followed her.

"You didn't have to do that," Naruto told Sasuke, his eyes following Cell 9. "I'd have taken him."

"Maybe." But that didn't matter. It was something Sasuke had to do. Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi-sensei had risked their reputations in the past six months by standing by Sasuke. They didn't have to. It wasn't unheard of to request a cellmate be removed from the Cell for even as small a reason as cellmates not getting along. It would be considered quite reasonable for a cellmate to be removed from a Cell because they’d committed a crime or shamed the Cell. Sasuke had done both and he knew that he was lucky they hadn’t cast him off. They hadn't. They'd stuck right with him and Sasuke was very grateful. He certainly didn’t want them to take any other risks such as fighting for him. "We should go, too."

Cell 7 caught up with Cell 9 outside the Hokage's palace. None of the boys spoke to each other, but Tenten and Sakura walked closely together talking as if they were the only ones around. Sakura was definitely a strategist, but Tenten was practical and realistic. An ideal team, Sasuke thought.

"I want to see this place, first," Tenten told Sakura. "I don't like any plan if I can't see what I'm talking about. We could spend hours planning and have to scrap it all when we actually see this school."

"But we won't have time to plan properly if we wait that long. We should get a general outline before we get there and then take care of details," Sakura argued. The two girls walked slowly side-by-side as they talked and seemed to take no heed of the boys. "We know it's a school. A large populace can be expected, but mostly harmless children. They're expecting a war, so there is the possibility of warriors being present. I would think they would put guards on the school if there is the possibility of an attack."

"Experienced instructors can't be ignored," Tenten added in. "If the client believes his school is in danger, surely he would be sensible enough to hire instructors capable of protecting the children in their care. I have heard that wizards are very powerful, so there is the risk that we might be discovered and attacked if they think we’re an enemy."

"True, but if the client had reliable guards at his school, wouldn’t they be able to find the flaws in his school without hiring outsiders?" Sasuke asked, quietly.

Tenten absently said, "You’re assuming that the client hired sensible guards. They could be completely incompetent. Now, the main objective is finding weak points. We can ignore direct danger to the school that comes lurking around. It's not our job to defend it or its people. The client requested simple observation. Agreed?"

"Agreed. Any interference on our part wouldn’t be paid for and it would, in fact, go against the contract and the village might have to refund the agreed upon payment. The main problem that I see is getting decent surveillance amongst the students. We can easily do reconnaissance on the grounds and the exterior of the building, but we'll need to be more careful on the interior evaluation."

Both girls fell silent and neither of their Cells chose to interrupt them. Suddenly, both girls turned and faced their Cells. "Well? What's with the slow pace? Pick it up, gentlemen." Tenten clapped her hands together meaningfully. "What are we just waiting for? We don't have forever so let's go say our goodbyes and get moving."

Neji stopped walking. "If you'll excuse me. I have business to attend to before we can leave. I'll join you later. Lee, walk Tenten home." Tenten and Lee didn't question it and Neji took another road, his long hair swaying behind him with every step.

"Why’s Lee got to walk you home?" Naruto asked Tenten.

Tenten smiled at Naruto. "He doesn’t have to, but he’s my friend so he will. My place isn't far so we'll leave you here and see you at Umino-sensei's house. You coming, Lee?"

"You don't have to ask." Lee gave them a cheery wave before he turned to walk with Tenten. "I have to leave my family a note before we go. That won't take long at all."

And then they were gone.

Neji-

When Neji reached the Hyuuga Estate the sun hadn't quite risen. The chill of winter was bitter and stung his toes in the open toed boots he wore. It would snow again, soon. Before midday, most likely. Neji could smell it in the crisp air. He walked through the estate and ignored everyone he came across until he reached the Main House where the head of the family, Neji’s uncle, and most of the Main Family lived. 

"What's your business?" The guard at the main door asked gruffly. She eyed Neji up and down, her eyes lingering on his hitae, the fabric strap that bore the insignia of Konohagakure, with displeasure. Undoubtedly, she didn't like the fact that it covered the curse mark on Neji's forehead, the curse mark that enslaved him to his own family. Her curse mark was plainly visible. Like many Hyuuga's of the Branch Family, when inside the walls of the Hyuuga Estate she wore her hitae band around her throat to leave the curse mark visible. Perhaps she was proud of it, as strange as that seemed to Neji.

"I need to see Hinata-sama."

The guard, some distant relative of Neji's, nodded and stepped aside. "Go in.” She pushed open the heavy door and Neji walked by her.

In the Main House, Neji knew all the members of the Main Family were asleep while members of the Branch Family were awake and patrolling the estate. He passed several of them, their curse marks visible on their foreheads. How he hated the mark! The curse mark was an old practice, one that governed the lives of the Hyuuga’s. If a Hyuuga were born into the Branch Family of the Hyuuga clan, the curse mark was carved onto their foreheads when they were young children and that mark tied them forever to the Main Family. A life of servitude and sacrifice.

The Main House, a single large building built almost entirely of stone, was grand. It was much like the Uchiha Compound, but the Main House was elegant. There were thick carpets and elaborate tapestries. The furniture was plush and brightly colored. It was opulent, as should be expected of the most illustrious clan of Konohagakure.

Neji hated the place.

He hated the silk curtains and he hated the delicately painted art on the walls. Most of all, he hated the Hyuuga's who lived there. Every Hyuuga who had an undamaged forehead was a target of Neji's hate. Many with the curse mark were hated, also.

How could they accept so calmly their fate? They were to live and breathe for the Main Family. They would die for the Main Family, for if one of the Main Family were in danger, it was expected and accepted that one of the Branch Family would die for them, just as Neji's father had been put to death in the place of the head of the Main Family. Sacrificed… like an animal. No Hyuuga’s of the Branch Family had any choice in the matter so long as they lived and so long as Neji remained a Hyuuga, he had no choice. He was only allowed to work as a shinobi because the head of the family allowed it.

He’d been thinking on that for quite a while. He’d finally found a solution.

In a corridor Neji had walked many times before there were two doors facing each other. There were two guards standing in front of one door. The other, Hinata's door, was completely unguarded. He knocked on the door.

"She's sleeping."

Neji didn't bother to turn at Hanabi's voice. He disliked her. Hanabi was Hinata’s younger sister, but they were vastly different. Where Hinata was naturally shy and soft spoken, a gentle soul somehow born into the ranks of warriors, Hanabi was hard and tough and perfectly willing to fight for whatever it was that she wanted. It was her bedroom that was well guarded.

"She’ll wake up in a minute," Hanabi whispered, tugging on Neji's arm to get him to look at her. When he did, she looked at the guards at her door. "Leave, now."

They didn't question, but turned and left without a word. It was the way things were supposed to be, but that didn't mean Neji had to like it.

"They'll kill her," Hanabi said once she and Neji were alone. Hanabi was small, even for eight-years-old. Her eyes, like the eyes of all Hyuuga's, were white as moonlight and her serious little face looked up at Neji, utterly serious. "They're going to kill Hinata."

"I know." 

It was Hanabi who would rule the Hyuuga Clan, one day, not Hinata. Though Hinata was the elder sister, Hanabi's skills and talent were far greater than timid Hinata's. It was Hanabi who was given special attention by the family instructors while Hinata was ignored.

"You're a Branch Family member." Hanabi's eyes narrowed as her face tightened into a scowl. "You must do your duty. Hinata's a Main Family member. You MUST protect her."

Neji straightened up and took his arm from her with a sharp pull. "I know my duty." He would protect Hinata, even from their own family, but not because of the curse and certainly not because he’d been ordered to. "Is the danger immediate?"

"No. Not yet." She scowled. "You already knew she's in danger."

"Everyone knows." It was not spoken about, but Neji had known that Hinata was in danger for a great long time.

"Everyone but me!" Hanabi snapped. 

"So long as your father lives, Hinata is safe. She will likely be safe for many years." It was feeble reassurance and didn't make Neji feel any easier about Hinata's safety. He would have to put his plan into motion soon.

Hanabi snarled, "And if father dies tomorrow? My big sister will die the day our father dies and she knows it. I’ve been overhearing things. I asked father about it and he explained that the Main Family won't allow someone weak to be head of the clan. The family will kill her to make way for me." Hanabi's scowled darkened. It didn't seem possible for such a young child to have such an ugly expression. "Don't let them kill my sister."

"I won't."

In the matter of Hinata’s survival, Neji and Hanabi were on the same side.

There was a soft creak from inside Hinata's chambers and at the sound Hanabi turned and fled back into her own bedroom.

"Neji? Why are you here so late? Come in." Hinata's voice was as soft and delicate as ever when she called out. Neji hadn't opened the door, but it was no surprise that she knew he was there. She was a Hyuuga. Of course she could see through the door.

When Neji walked in, he found Hinata sitting on her bed with the blankets around her. The moonlight shone in through a window and it made her look all the more like a porcelain doll. She was pale and lovely as ever. When she smiled at Neji, she fairly glowed. For everything she lacked - skill, talent, cunning - she was sweet and Neji treasured his cousin dearly. If only she would give up on the idea of being shinobi. She just wasn't suited for it. He felt sure that Hinata would be happier as almost anything other than a fighter.

"Neji?"

He hadn't realized he was staring. "Forgive me. I came to tell you that I'll be leaving on a mission for a short while. You must be careful while I'm gone." Because if anything were to happen to her while he was gone, Neji wasn't sure he'd be able to forgive himself for not protecting her. "I will be gone for approximately one month and one week, including travel time."

"Have you said good-bye to your mother?"

"Why?"

Hinata shrugged. "Kiba and Shino tell me they always say good-bye to their families before we leave on missions. I was just curious. I don't think mother would care if I told her."

"No. She wouldn't." Neji would have been shocked if Hinata's mother even noticed she was gone. He knew his mother wouldn't notice. "You will take care of yourself. You have a tendency to react slowly in bad situations."

"I promise." Hinata looked down at her lap and began picking at the blanket. "You know I'm careful. Shino and Kiba are a strong Cell to be with." She looked up at him, then back down at her lap. "Or were you talking with Hanabi about another threat Shino and Kiba won't be able to help with?"

He looked away from her. "Your sister spoke to me after I'd arrived."

"I see. Father's in good health and he rarely goes on missions anymore. I'm safe for now."

"For now."

The clan would be stronger with Hanabi at its head, after all. If they were willing to sacrifice powerful Branch Family members, then they would surely have no hesitation about killing Hinata who was worthless compared to Hanabi.

It was just as well that he’d decided upon his plan. He would start it as soon as the mission was completed.

Even if she did survive her childhood, there was another difficulty Neji couldn't think of a way to solve. Hinata was weak, shy, and timid. No one wanted a timid wife. He comforted himself with the fact that she was cute and sweet and that perhaps someone might value that over her shinobi skills. Off hand, he couldn't think of anyone who would, but there was always hope. He wasn’t in any great hurry to have her married, of course - she was only thirteen – but he’d lately found himself worrying for her future. Regardless, he wouldn’t allow anyone unworthy to get close to her. She was his responsibility, after all. His father had made sure that Neji knew he would be Hinata’s guard for the rest of his life. It was an honor for a member of the Branch Family to be chosen as the personal guard of the head of the family, but that had been long before it was known that Hinata would never be the head of the family.

He stayed and spoke quietly with her for a time and enjoyed her company. It had taken time and effort to repair the damage he’d done to their relationship during the chuunin exams when he’d attacked so relentlessly even though he’d known very well she couldn’t stand up to him.

“It’s alright,” Hinata had told him when he’d gone to see her to apologize, later. “I understand.” She gave him an earnest smile. “You’ve been angry for a long time and you needed to let it out. I’m glad I could help you. Do you feel better now?”

It had left Neji speechless. Hinata might be weak physically, but her character was as strong as anyone could wish for. He had felt better after the battle, all his rage at being enslaved by his own family, his father’s death, the unfairness of it all… it had been worked out. He had been wrong to aim his anger at Hinata, though, and he would regret that to his dying day.

After a time, Neji finally said, “I should go. Gai-sensei is expecting me soon. Be safe.”

Hinata looked sad. "Yes. I suppose so. You be careful, too."

"Of course. I’ll see you when I return.”

Lee-

It would be a quick stop at Lee's home before they moved onto Tenten's. Lee had no one to say goodbye to when they arrived at the home he shared with his family. The house was empty. It was no terrible surprise. He'd rather expected it. His brothers were likely on missions as were his parents. They were respectable, hard-working shinobi who couldn't have had time to just sit around the house waiting for him.

“You don’t have to come in,” Lee told Tenten. “This will only take a minute.” And he left her at the door to get what he needed. 

The Rock home was like most others in Konohagakure. It was not a lavish compound like the disused Uchiha Compound nor was it a plush estate as the Hyuuga's had. The house was simple, but as a child, it had seemed very comfortable. However, when he'd started to grow up and realized that he was different from everyone else, everything changed. His parents looked at him with disappointment clear in their eyes. His brothers didn’t introduce him to their friends. They were ashamed of him. It wasn't that they didn't love him, Lee was certain that his family did, but he was an embarrassment. They would never say that to him, but it was true. He was the only shinobi in Konohagakure with no chakra. It was a handicap and his family was ashamed. It really was as simple as that.

But Gai-sensei was proud of Lee for exactly the same reason that Lee’s family was ashamed. "You've become shinobi without the benefit of chakra." Gai-sensei had beamed at him. "You must understand how remarkable you are."

Lee spent only a few minutes picking out some weapons from his cache, though it wasn't much. Gai-sensei always advised traveling light. A burdened down shinobi was one that moved quickly towards death. As he was leaving the house, his eyes fell on a wall where family photos were hung. There wasn't a single picture of him.

Lee left a note for his family, telling them how long he would be gone and signed it before joining Tenten at the front door.

"You done?"

"Yup."

She sighed unhappily. "I was hoping that you'd take a bit longer. Now we have to go to my place."

Tenten-

Tenten was about as fond of her family as Neji was of his, but for quite a different reason. She hadn't been put under a curse mark as Neji had been. She didn't expect to be put to death for the sake of family. She didn't even have to worry about the whole Main Family/Branch Family nonsense. However, like Neji and Lee, Tenten had stayed away from her home as much as possible ever since she'd been placed in her Cell.

The moment she entered the house, Tenten knew her mother was there. The house was silent, but there was a presence Tenten couldn't ignore. She frowned, but kept her face stern and spoke to Lee softly. "I just need to stop at my room then we can go."

Lee didn't say anything, but followed her in wearily.

They made it all the way to Tenten's bedroom where she began collecting what she needed before Tenten's mother appeared.

"Where have you been?"

Her mother's voice made a chill run down Tenten's spine, but she determinedly kept gathering hair thin wires and her throwing weapons, most of them sealed inside scrolls. "Working. You know that." Tenten buckled the straps of her bag and slung it over her shoulder. When, at last, she knew she was packed, Tenten stood and turned around to face her mother. The woman was a mess. Her long hair was uncombed and her face unwashed. She smelled of several days worth of filth and alcohol. "Is there something you want, mother?"

Tenten's mother didn't answer, but looked at her in disgust. "Weak. You're a common girl. Nothing special about you at all." She raised a familiar bottle to her lips and drank deeply. "Why? Why couldn't you have inherited it? Our bloodline limit was amazing."

It was an old speech. "I'm busy, mother. I'll be back in a month or so."

"How did that fool of a sensei put you in a team with a Hyuuga?" Tenten's mother spat. "Your father would be ashamed…his only heir a weak commoner. We were as powerful as the Hyuuga's and the Uchiha's! Then…then you."

"We've gone over this before. I'm leaving."

"Weak!"

"You're weak!" Tenten shouted back. It was always the same. "If you're so strong, why not use your bloodline limit? So lost in a bottle you can't even see straight, let alone activate your talent!" Tenten easily dodged the strike her mother aimed at her.

"You shame our family with your life." Her mother was growing angrier and angrier by the moment. "Even Rock Lee," she gestured to him with the bottle in her hand. "Even he is more highly thought of than you!"

Lee chose that moment to step in. He spoke softly, but kept his eyes on Tenten. "We should go now. Gai-sensei will be wondering where we are."

"Yes," Tenten's mother glared. "Go. Get out." When Tenten moved passed her mother, the woman swung her bottle at Tenten, but Lee caught the bottle in midair and crushed it with one hand. Broken glass fell to the floor. It only made Tenten's mother laugh. "Even the powerless wonder is more impressive than my daughter."

Neither Tenten nor Lee said anything until they'd left the house and had gone a good distance down the street. After a while, Tenten said, "Sorry about that. She shouldn't have said that about you."

"Or about you," Lee told her. "You're going to be alright." It wasn't a question and Lee smiled when he said it.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because Neji and I are here to support you. You aren’t alone." His smile widened. "And because you are you. You are strong, no matter what your mother says."

Neji was suddenly walking on Tenten's other side. "Because you are more than your blood. More than your family. You are strong and smart and determined." Neji turned his white eyes on her, though he didn't smile as Lee did and spoke gravely. "You WILL be alright."

Tenten walked a little prouder.

Sasuke-

As Sasuke and Naruto lived with Iruka-sensei and that was where everyone was meeting, they only had to go to Sakura’s home to get what she needed. Her father met them at the door and Sasuke, standing next to Naruto on the doorstep was immediately uncomfortable. He hated getting stared at.

Sakura frowned at her father, but motioned for Naruto and Sasuke to follow her into the house. "Wait here a minute. This won't take long." Then she left the living room with her mother, a handsome, scar-faced woman, to get her medical equipment. She was the logical choice to keep charge of the necessary things.  
There was a long silence before Sakura's father slowly smiled. "Welcome to our home, Uchiha-san."

Sasuke was suddenly nervous. It had been a very long time since anyone had called him Uchiha-san. It had been a very long time since anyone had called him anything at all. He had been ignored by most of the villagers and spat-upon by the rest. To be given such unexpected courtesy unnerved him. Sakura's father, Haruno-san, was a massive, square-faced man with a bristling beard and dull eyes. He was nothing like Sakura at all.

There was an awkward few moments while Sasuke and Naruto stood side-by-side facing Haruno-san. Haruno-san said nothing for a long while, but just watched them. He watched Sasuke with a strange, calculating glint in his eyes and he watched Naruto as if he were afraid Naruto would steal the family's good silver.

It made Sasuke roll his eyes. He didn’t know what to make of the look he was being given, but the obvious distaste for Naruto was just foolish. He’d never understood why the villagers treated Naruto poorly. Even before they’d been made Cellmates, Sasuke hadn’t understood it. The idea of Naruto stealing was laughable; his honor just wouldn't let him take something that didn't belong to him unless it was for a mission. Besides, if Iruka-sensei found out Naruto stole something for a silly reason, he'd give Naruto a thrashing.

Sasuke had never been one to deal with people well and Haruno-san’s odd staring was only making him uncomfortable. Naruto kept shifting from foot-to-foot and kept his arms crossed over his chest. He tapped his left foot and stood closer to Sasuke than he normally would.

"So," Sakura's father drew Sasuke's attention back to him. "My Sakura talks about you a lot."

"Your Sakura talks a lot. Period." It was out of Sasuke's mouth before he could stop himself. It was the truth, after all.

The man's frown deepened. "She thinks a lot of you."

Sasuke didn't know what to make of that comment. "Is she ready, yet?"

Sakura's father motioned to the sofa for Sasuke to sit. Sasuke refused because Naruto kept standing and with all the odd staring, he felt better with his cellmate at his side. It was strange. Since they'd walked into the house, Naruto hadn't said a word. Sasuke had never seen Naruto so still or quiet for such a long stretch of time and it worried him.

Perhaps, he thought, Naruto is getting sick.

"Uchiha-san," Sakura's father said. "Despite what's happened to you in the past year, you should know that you won't be treated any differently by my family. We see you as the same boy you were before that criminal got his hands on you. I also want you to know that I appreciate the kindness you've shown my daughter. Considering your family's standing in the village, you didn't have to even acknowledge her."

Sasuke frowned. He really didn’t understand people.

"I know my Sakura isn't as…competent as she should be and she certainly isn't strong, but she tries hard. I suppose that must count for something. To be blunt, you must be fond of her to put up with her ineptitude. Oh, the book learning she does well enough at. Umino-sensei tells me she's brilliant at that, but when it comes to the real world…"

"When it comes to defending her Cell, Sakura is unstoppable," Naruto said, bluntly. It was the first time he'd spoken since entering the Haruno house and he spoke very sedately. "No one told you about the chuunin exams, did they? She saved our butts." Who could ever forget the nightmare of the infamous Forest of Death? Sakura had shown fearsome courage when she’d stood between the Sound shinobi and the helpless Naruto and Sasuke even though she’d known she didn’t stand a chance of defeating them. How could anyone doubt her?

The look Haruno-san gave Naruto was poisonous and filled with hate. It seemed some things would never change. "Leave my home."

A tantrum is what Naruto should have thrown. He should have made a scene. Instead, Naruto turned on his heel and walked out. He didn't even slam the door on his way out.

"Now," Haruno-san managed a slight smile. "Uchiha-san, I knew your father. He was a good man. I always believed you'd turn out as well as he had. He was fortunate in his wife - your mother - also. She was a striking lady, as I recall." He kept talking, but Sasuke had stopped listening.

He really had no idea why the man was blathering on. Of course he'd known Sasuke's father, everyone had. The Uchiha Clan had been one of the most powerful before Itachi - Sasuke's beloved elder brother - had betrayed them all. Everyone had known, or wanted to know, the ancient family just as they now all clamored for the attention of the Hyuuga family. That he could describe Sasuke's mother as striking was no surprise, Sasuke had gotten his handsome looks from her. She had once been considered a great beauty of Konohagakure - not that beauty was something significantly prized.

Konohagakure was a village of power. One of the biggest, most powerful villages in the world. What was considered most attractive was not physical appearance, but power. Could one's mate defend the children? Could one's mate guarantee security? That was true desirability. Skill, power, intelligence, strength - those were what made people attractive.

In a detached sort of way, Sasuke understood that he’d once been seen as attractive due to the sharigan and the Uchiha name. That had all been made worthless when he’d shown how weak he was by giving in to the lure of power Orochimaru offered and his betrayal along with Itachi’s had ruined the good name of Uchiha.

"…you must think of it soon."

Sasuke realized, belatedly, that he'd missed half of the conversation due to his inner musings. He'd have to be careful and cursed himself. Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek and tasted blood - a minor punishment for allowing his mind to wander. He couldn't just ask the man to repeat what he'd said as that would prove his own ineptitude, but Sasuke didn't know what to say. Silence was always useful, but the man was watching him expectantly and patiently. He wanted an answer.

"Dad?" Sakura's voice was Sasuke's savior for it took the attention away from him. Dressed in her usual knee-length trousers and with the typical green utility vest all shinobi wore over her long, pink shirt Sakura stood behind her father with a dark frown on her face and a fist on her hip. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Nothing to hurt you, sweetheart."

"Dad…" Sakura took in a deep breath. "It's really not your affair. You MUST leave Sasuke alone."

Interesting.

"Sasuke," Sakura turned on her sweetest smile. "Where's Naruto?"

"He was told to leave."

Sakura’s twitched. It was a danger signal, Sasuke had learned. "I see. Why don't you walk with him to Iruka-sensei's house and say goodbye. I'll catch up in a minute."

Anything to get away from Sakura's strange father. Outside the house, Sasuke found Naruto crouched next to the door, grinning. As soon as the door closed, Naruto pressed his ear against it and waved at Sasuke to join him. 

"Come on!" Naruto whispered. "Listen! Listen! This is gonna get good."

"What is?" Curious, Sasuke did as Naruto urged and squatted down next to the door and pressed his ear against it. He felt rather silly, but he was astounded by what he heard.

"Naruto’s a fine, respectable boy!" Sakura raged. "What did you go and sent him outside for? He isn't a dog!"

"He's…Naruto." The voice of Sakura's father made it sound as if there were no greater crime.

"And?" Sakura demanded, impatiently. "See? You don't even have an answer! Naruto's never done anything to hurt anyone and you treat him like slime. He's my friend and my Cellmate and I'll have him visit if I please! And don't even get me started on what you did to Sasuke!"

That made Sasuke blink, bemused. ‘Did he do something to me?’ 

"How dare you!" Sakura's fury made both Naruto and Sasuke flinch. "Don't you ever even THINK of shaming me like that again! He's a good boy and he does not need you messing around with his life! I have never been so embarrassed in my life!"

"Now, I'm only trying to make the best match for you. His bloodline…"

The room went very quiet and Sasuke knew Sakura was trying to rein in her formidable temper. "If you want to get so involved in my life," she said as though it hurt not to yell. "Then do it properly! Sasuke has no family to speak for him so that duty falls to Kakashi-sensei. He's our superior and the only one with any authority over Sasuke-kun. I can tell you now Kakashi-sensei would laugh at you and if you're thinking about going to Iruka-sensei, I can tell you now that he would say that the matter is for Sasuke and I to decide. Most importantly of all, Sasuke has no interest in me at all beyond a friend so any match you’re thinking about - it's not going to happen. Now, I'll be gone for a month or so plus travel time. See you when I get back."

Sasuke decided that he would ask Naruto what was going on later. He still didn't quite understand what that whole argument had been about. What kind of arrangement would Kakashi-sensei or Iruka-sensei set up for him? What did it have to do with his bloodline?

When Sakura left the house and slammed the door behind her, she found her cellmates waiting for her and smiled brightly. "Ah. I thought you'd be gone, by now. Onward, then? We can catch up with Kakashi-sensei at Iruka-sensei's house. Maybe the others will be there by then, too."

"Sakura?" Naruto said, hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" She looked as if she were about to cry, but held the tears back admirably. She smiled and held her chin high. Her shoulders were thrown back proudly and she met Naruto's eyes without hesitation. She knew they'd been listening and refused to show any signs of her distress.

For once, Naruto backed down. "No reason." He seemed pleased, which was really no surprise. The girl he admired most in all of Konohagakure had defended him. Not many people bothered to. Naruto turned to Sasuke to change the subject away from Sakura. "Anything you want to pick up? You know at… that place." He gestured towards the high walls of the Uchiha Compound which could be seen over the tops of houses.

"No." The dusty ruins of his childhood home had been derelict for many years and as far as Sasuke was concerned, they would stay that way. "I have what I need. What I don't have I'll borrow from Iruka-sensei." They all knew Iruka-sensei would lend them his weapons or scrolls or kits. He was generous to a fault, especially when it came to his students.

Naruto-

Iruka was, Naruto always bragged, the best. It wasn't that he was an exceptional teacher. He could rarely make it through the day without blowing up at a student for a prank or for falling asleep in class. He wasn't a very handsome man for his eyes were small and his ears just a little too big. He wasn't the smartest person in the village nor was he the strongest, most powerful, or really…anything. There was nothing - outwardly - that set Iruka above anyone else. He was pleasant and well-mannered with an easy laugh and an openness about him that Kakashi had often warned would get him into trouble one day. But, despite all that, Iruka was still the best.

"You'd better behave," Sakura warned when they got closer to Iruka's house. "You know Kakashi-sensei is going to be there."

"He always is, lately," Naruto whined. He knew he was whining and didn't care. Kakashi had drifted into his life so effortlessly that it didn't seem fair. "Every night for a week he's been at the house! He stayed over last night. In Iruka-sensei's bedroom!"

"Well, I think it's sweet," Sakura said, lifting her chin a little. "Iruka-sensei's smart. He wouldn't spend time with someone that wasn't good enough for him. Besides, no matter what you say, we all know Kakashi-sensei’s a very good man."

Naruto looked at the ground and grumbled. It was one of the few times Naruto grumbled at Sakura. He wasn't angry at her, he was just angry. Naruto valued his cellmates greatly and knew they felt the same. They all cared deeply for each other, but, while they would all die for each other, there wasn't anything romantic about it.

It was familiarity, Naruto had decided. Once they'd gotten to know each other and not just wished from afar, they'd gotten to be friends. They all honestly liked and respect each other, but they also understood each other and that understanding told them all that the friendship the three of them shared was precious and not only did they accept it, but they found that they wanted nothing more. They valued their friendship, treasured it fiercely.

"What's the problem?" Sasuke asked Naruto. "You like Iruka-sensei. You like Kakashi-sensei. Their relationship should make you happy."

Of course Sasuke wouldn't understand. It wasn't that Naruto disliked Kakashi. The fact was that he was selfish. When no one took care of you except you, then it tended to turn a person a little self-centered. Until Iruka had taken Naruto into his life, Naruto had lived alone in a shambles of an apartment and had no one to take care of him but himself. When he'd finally gotten someone to love, he desperately wanted to keep that someone all to himself.

He already shared Iruka with Sasuke. Wasn't that enough sharing? Why did Kakashi have to come along, too?

It had started innocently enough. Kakashi had walked them back to Iruka's house after a hard day of training. It hadn't seemed odd. He'd walked Sakura to her front door, too. Kakashi said he wanted to make sure the boys were alright. It was only a sprain Naruto had taken in the fall, but it was better to be safe than sorry.  
Of course, kind-hearted Iruka had asked Kakashi to stay for dinner. That hadn't been so bad. Kakashi kept his infamous book well out of sight and made polite conversation for an hour before leaving. Naruto had no problem with the visit. What he had a problem with was that Kakashi did the same thing two nights later. It became habit quickly and - worst of all - Iruka didn't mind. He laughed at Kakashi's stupid jokes and scowled at the crude ones with an indignant, "There are children in the room!" But Iruka forgave and would invite Kakashi back again.

Iruka's house was just like the man himself. Plain. There was a small vegetable garden outside the front door and as soon as they opened the front gate, the three members of Cell 7 stopped dead in their tracks. In the modest front yard Iruka and Kakashi were sparring. It wasn't a sight one saw often. Iruka was too sensible to brawl in the streets and had no need to spar, certainly not with jonin level shinobi. Kakashi was too lazy to spar with just anyone. He knew he was one of the best and saw no point in proving it. So to see the two men launching kicks and lightening fast strikes at one another, to see them dodging and flipping and tumbling, made the three stop and stare.

"Hey," Sakura leaned a little closer to Naruto. "Has Iruka-sensei ever told you why he never took the jonin exam? He's as good as Kakashi-sensei. He shouldn't still be chuunin!"

Naruto shook his head. He'd never really seen Iruka fight in an even match. He'd seen the teaching bouts, but this was something else entirely. Throughout the sparring, Naruto couldn't miss that Iruka was smiling - if only a little - and Kakashi's one visible eye was twinkling happily.

"No," Sasuke said, making both Naruto and Sakura look at him. His eyes had turned red and the black tomoe, small black marks in his eyes, whirled around in circles. The sharigan, the feared bloodline limit of the Uchiha Clan, could see and copy any technique and he watched the two men intently. "Kakashi-sensei is slightly faster. His moves more…graceful." He seemed to struggle for the right word. "Iruka-sensei would lose if Kakashi-sensei went all out on him."

"Iruka is the best!" Naruto stubbornly insisted with his jaw clench. "Sensei! Iruka-sensei!"

Immediately, Kakashi and Iruka leapt apart. While Kakashi looked the same as always, Iruka was sweating and panting from the effort. Naruto might be forced to admit that Sasuke was right about Iruka not being quite up to Kakashi's level. 

Iruka waved and started to walk to them.

Kakashi reached them first. "Ah. I was wondering when you'd get here. You mustn't be late all the time, children. People will think poorly of you."

"Don't you have a home to go to?" Naruto demanded.

For an answer, Kakashi only winked. "Iruka is kind to all strays, isn't he?"

Naruto ignored him and marched to Iruka. Dismissing the fact that he was thirteen and that thirteen-year-old boys didn't hug their elders, Naruto wrapped his arms around Iruka and sent a glare over his shoulder to Kakashi. "Mine."

"Do I have competition, Iru?"

"That's disgusting." Iruka gave Kakashi a nasty look at the comment, but patted Naruto's hair. "Now, Naruto. You must stop doing things like this. It's been months."

"No. I don't wanna. He's a lech. A pervert. A lazy bum. He doesn't deserve you. You're way too classy for him!" Naruto held on a little tighter… then sighed. "But if you're happy I'll share you. If he hurts you, I'll stomp him into tomorrow!"

"At least I have a staunch defender," Iruka said, pleasantly. "Now, come inside and have something to eat before you go, everyone. I packed a few extra rations for you, just in case. Tell me about this mission."

Maito Gai-

No one seemed to notice him as he sat on top of Umino-sensei's house, but that was alright. He was happy to see his eternal rival enjoying himself so much. It was no great secret between them that Kakashi was fond of Umino-sensei. That he'd wanted to spar before leaving on such a long mission was expected. So Gai kept quiet and out of the way and let them go at it, though he did wish that Naruto-kun hadn't asked about Kakashi's own home. It wasn't the boy's fault. He’d spoken without any real heat or meaning, just a child’s temper. He didn't know.

When Kakashi's Cell appeared, he did nothing to stop them from interfering in the bout. After all, it wasn't strictly his business. Cell 7 was Kakashi's to take care of and command while Umino-sensei had a certain authority over all the youngsters of the village, especially the two of Cell 7 who lived with him.

"Gai-sensei."

There was Neji, patiently waiting with his arms at his sides as he suddenly appeared on the rooftop at Gai's side. Gai smiled brightly. The best of his year, Neji was rather like Sasuke-kun – both of them the top of their classes. To have them both working on the same mission would be a great advantage, though Gai did have some reservations. They could end up competing with each other instead of working for the good of the mission.

"Are they almost done?" Neji asked, scowling down at the scene below. It was amusing to see Naruto jealous for Umino-sensei's affection, but Neji couldn't see it. He had a hard time with anything that dealt with family, though Gai did his best to fill the role of a caring authority figure, he wondered if Neji would ever accept that care.

"Oh, let them finish their goodbyes." Tenten was at Neji's other side, sitting placidly with her knees raised up to her chin and smiling down at the scene below. "It does no harm. We're not really in that much of a hurry."

Of course, Lee was quick to follow Tenten and ended up beside Gai, though he stood - like Neji - instead of sitting. "Rejoice for the lost who have found home."

"Huh?" Tenten hooked an arm around one of Neji's legs and leaned forward to get a clear look at Lee. "What are you talking about?"

"A new line for a poem. I just thought of it. It suits them, I think."

Gai nodded at Lee. He was so proud of the boy. "What are we waiting for? Let's get down there! The sooner we go, the sooner we return!"

A short while later, Gai's Cell met Cell 7 in front of Umino-sensei's home and set off towards the client's school - Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

To Be Continued...


	4. Wards and Watching

Chapter 4: Wards and Watching

Week 1

Sasuke-

Sasuke ran. 

They’d been running for days towards the school that was the object of their mission. Kakashi-sensei and Gai-san had set a pace and their Cells followed them without complaint, so it seemed that they would reach their destination on time. Sasuke kept pace beside Naruto and while they had, at times, attempted to race one another, they hadn’t been able to move far ahead before Kakashi-sensei called them to heel.

Scotland was covered in snow. The air was crisp, clean. Everything felt new, but while Sasuke had been initially grateful to leave Konohagakure, he found that being away from it had presented another anxiety for him. He found that he constantly worried about Orochimaru finding him since he’d left the safety of the village. It was extremely unlikely; there was no reason to think he would even know where to look for Sasuke, but Orochimaru was… beyond reason.

“Right,” Gai-san called out, dragging Sasuke out of his thoughts. “Here we are.”

Everyone stopped. They were at the edge of a vast, dark forest. To the left and right, it seemed to stretch on for miles. It wasn't as intimidating as the Forest of Death, of course, but it was still a sight to behold with old trees and the distant cries of animals. Sasuke stared at the forest, trying to see what creatures could be making the noises, but he saw nothing beyond the first few yards as the trees were too thick. The Forest of Death that surrounded Konohagakure had trees many times larger and Sasuke knew what dangerous creatures lurked in the shadows of that forest.

A chill ran up Sasuke’s spine. He looked away from the trees. He’d met Orochimaru in The Forest of Death. To get his thoughts away from that memory, Sasuke turned his attention to the two Cells.

Sakura didn’t like the sudden stop and stood tensely with her fingers dangling near her hip where her kunai - a small dagger - was holstered. "What's wrong? We're close, aren't we?"

Kakashi-sensei waved his hand, as if to dismiss her misgivings. “Nothing’s wrong and, yes, we are close. We just need to see to a minor detail before we enter the territory of the wizards.” He gestured to the forest. “This is the Forbidden Forest and marks what the wizards consider the boundary of the Hogwarts School. That means we have one thing to do before we can continue on."

"Why? How long will this take?" Naruto had never been known for his patience. He tapped one foot irritably and scowled at the forest, eager to get moving. No doubt he wanted to make as good an impression as possible at their first important mission in months. "Can't we just go?"

"The school is on the other side of this forest, about a four day's walk, a couple of hours run for us." Kakashi-sensei's eye sparkled, making it seems as if he were smiling. "If you're so impatient, go on ahead of us."

Naruto, who took everything at face value, nodded and grinned. "I'll meet you on the other side of the forest, then!" He didn't get far. Naruto bound towards the forest's edge, but stopped very suddenly. He put his hands to his stomach and turned back to face them looking quite pale. "What…what is this?"

"Oh?" Kakashi-sensei asked. "Is something wrong?"

Gai-san shook his head. "Don't tease him. It's unkind. Come back here, Naruto. You won't like trying to force your way into that forest."

Stubborn as he always was, Naruto did try to take another step forward, but his face suddenly went green and he flinched and doubled over in pain. He didn't try again and walked back to the group. As he walked, Naruto's back straightened and the discomfort faded easily from his face. "What's wrong with this place? I felt like I was going to be sick. It was awful. Worse than that flu I had."

Sasuke remembered that flu. For a week and a half Naruto had been confined to bed while he suffered terrible aches and a fever. He hadn’t wanted to eat anything and had therefore lost a good deal of weight. It had taken days to get his strength back, even with helpful advice from everyone Iruka-sensei knew. Even Tsunade had come to help with her legendary healing talent, but nothing made any difference. Nothing Iruka-sensei tried had been able to ease Naruto's pain. It had been so bad that near the end, Naruto had cried.

"I'm tired," Naruto had whispered with tears drying on his cheeks. His eyes were closed and Tsunade had sadly said that Naruto was more asleep than awake and might not even be aware of what was going on around him or what he was saying. "Let me sleep."

But Iruka-sensei had bathed Naruto's face with water. "Not yet. You can't sleep yet. Stay awake and talk to me. Come on, talk to me, son."

Sasuke had never heard Iruka-sensei call Naruto ‘son’ and he wondered if Iruka-sensei knew how much it would mean to Naruto if he had been awake enough to hear it.

All through Naruto’s sickness, Iruka-sensei had sat with Naruto and spoken to him, patting Naruto’s hair, fluffing his pillow, or straightening his blankets. He didn’t hesitate to change sweaty pajamas or bed sheets so Naruto could at least get a little comfortable sleep. Sasuke brought food and drink for Iruka-sensei and every few hours Kakashi-sensei would take Iruka-sensei’s place at Naruto’s side after he chased Iruka-sensei away to get rest.

Naruto didn’t open his eyes. "Let me sleep. Please let me sleep. It hurts. Everything hurts. I’m cold. Let me sleep."

"Not yet."

Seeing Naruto half-laying on Iruka-sensei's lap, unable to wake, had frightened Sasuke more than he'd wanted to admit. It was too easy to think that Naruto, with all his immense power, was nearly invincible. He wasn’t. Despite the demon trapped inside him, Naruto was mortal and Sasuke had honestly thought Naruto might die during those last days. His recovery had been celebrated by his friends as nothing less than a miracle.

If the pain of just walking towards the Forbidden Forest was so terrible, they wouldn't be able to complete the mission.

Gai-san answered, "It's not the forest, but the people who live on the other side that have caused the feeling, Naruto. The wizards are a suspicious, frightened people and firmly believe that all those without magic should be kept out of 'their' world. To do that they've put spells on…"

"What?" Naruto asked. "Hold on! Wait! Spells?"

"Spells are rather like genjutsu. Wizards deal quite a bit with illusions and power manipulation. The sickness you felt just now was a spell to repel people with no magic."

"But," Sakura looked at the forest with a frown. "We can do genjutsu. Why would this spell affect us? Ah," she flushed a little and glanced at Lee, guiltily. "Well… I mean…"

Lee laughed and waved away her concern. His lack of chakra was well-known and apparently he wasn't sensitive about it. As far as Sasuke was concerned, Lee had nothing to be sensitive about. Considering his skills of taijutsu, Lee was just as valuable an asset to the village as anyone.

Kakashi-sensei slipped off his backpack and sat cross-legged on the ground with Gai-san. "My brilliant young student, aren't you listening? Magic is LIKE genjutsu. The two are not the same. We do not use magic and they do not use genjutsu." He took a pot of ink stopped with a cork out of this bag and set it on the ground in front of him.

Tenten nodded thoughtfully and balanced a long senbon needle on the tip of a finger with practiced ease. "Which is more powerful?"

"Neither. They are simply different," Gai-san cheerfully told her as he, too, took ink out of his bag. "Both powers are great, though I think I can safely say that shinobi’s have an advantage over wizards. Did you know that they aren't allowed to kill? They aren't even allowed to hire people to kill for them."

"In fact, if word gets out that this headmaster has hired us he would probably be convicted of a crime." Kakashi-sensei's shoulders shook, as if he were laughing. "He must be desperate to risk so much. But even if he does get caught, they won't kill him. They'll imprison him."

Sasuke frowned. "I don't understand. Is that all?"

"Well, in their defense, their only prison is rather nasty, I'm told. Perhaps it's bad enough to make death look lenient by comparison. That’s not really our business, though. Come here, everyone, and we’ll show you how we’re going to work around their magic.”

Kakashi-

The whole taboo about killing was just another facet of the wizard community that Kakashi found amusing. He kept silent while Gai went on about the strange habits of the wizards. Of course, he already knew all of what Gai was saying. He, like most of his rank, had spent time in the wizard community doing undercover work or carrying out other missions. Kakashi's last time in the wizard community had been a simple assassination of some minor politician.

The Cells went to their sensei’s when they were told to and sat down with them. No one complained about the snow melting into their clothes. Cold was just another inconvenience shinobi were trained to ignore.

Kakashi said, “Now, what you have to worry about is the difference between magic and genjutsu. There is enough of a difference between the two for there to be problems. What Naruto felt when he approached the forest is what people with no control over magic feel whenever they get close to it because there is a magical spell cast on the forest. The theory behind this particular spell is that anyone with no magic will leave because they don't like the feeling of the forest. As we have no magic," Kakashi held up his bottle of ink. "We must ward ourselves against their spells. We are going to draw wards on all of you to prevent the magic of this place from affecting you. That’s all it will do. It will make you able to walk into that forest without feeling ill.”

With a flourish Gai dipped the tip of his index finger into his inkpot then motioned for his Cell to gather closer around him. Kakashi wondered what it was like to have such an obedient Cell. Gai said, "My most esteemed rival and myself have come prepared for the challenges these wizards throw. We will get passed the magic. Lee, you’re up first!” He practically shouted it as he beamed at his student. “I think the arms will be enough. Sleeves up.”

Lee smiled in return, obviously pleased to have been chosen, and quickly pushed the sleeves of his green jumpsuit up to his elbows. He didn’t hesitate for an instant, the perfect image of trust and obedience.

Kakashi looked at his Cell, all of them looking apprehensive. Still, they watched as Gai easily drew on Lee’s left arm and then on his right. A line here, a swirl there, a protective symbol, and before long, Lee had been warded against the magic of the forest.

“That’s it?” Naruto almost laughed. He went to sit in front of Kakashi and happily got his own warding. He pushed his sleeves up and happily let Kakashi draw on his arms. “Why are they on the arms? What do the symbols mean? Is it a special kind of ink? Can we keep them forever, ‘cause I think they’d be real handy to have if I have to come back here.”

Kakashi grinned a little at Naruto’s questions. The boy might have faults, but curiosity was a sign of intelligence, he’d heard. “They are on the arms because your arms are easy to get to and so long as you don’t roll your sleeves up they won’t be visible to anyone. It is not a special kind of ink. No, you can’t keep them forever.”

Through it all, Sasuke stared. Sasuke stared alternately between Kakashi and Gai. His face was pale and his hands trembled. When he realized Kakashi was watching him, Sasuke lowered his eyes to the snow around his boots.

'If I find Orochimaru, I'll kill him.' Because Kakashi, as Cell leader, had been told what Orochimaru had done to Sasuke and he felt such a rage at what had been done to one of his kids. It had not escaped his notice or Iruka's that Sasuke avoided being touched if he could at all help it. 'He hurt my student. My kid.'

"Problem?" Kakashi asked Sasuke, as casually as he could. Of course there was a problem. His entire Cell had problems. "Come along. Don't stare at me. I'll start to think you don't trust me."

"My most favorite rival would not take advantage of his Cell by doing anything inappropriate," Gai-san cheerfully reassured them.

Sasuke flinched. No doubt he flinched at being so obvious.

"You think too poorly of your jonin if you worry so. This is all necessary. Without these wards, you won't be able to complete the mission." Gai dipped his finger into the inkpot and drew out the bright blue ink, wiping off the dripping excess on the edge of the pot's mouth. "Neji, it’s your turn."

Kakashi had been watching Sasuke when Gai spoke. The reaction was subtle, but it was there. Sasuke frowned and his eyebrows drew together. Good. He knew how important the mission was. Not just for the sake of the commission the village was getting, but for Sasuke himself.

Sakura raised her chin. "Right. This is part of the job. We can do this. We can ALL do this.” And she gave Sasuke an encouraging smile. “I’ll go next.” Sakura, who was, without a doubt, the brightest of his students, had known all along how vital it was that Sasuke complete this mission without any mistakes. She would do everything she could to support her cellmate.

Naruto’s arms were quickly done and Kakashi dismissed him and had Sakura sit in front of him. Due to the cold weather, she, too, wore long-sleeves and she pushed them up to her elbows and held out both arms to Kakashi.

"So, what are wards?" Sakura asked. "Are they like seals? Do we need to worry about Naruto’s… you know?"

Kakashi did know and he felt a warm pride at having such a smart student to have thought of that detail. Naruto bore a seal on his stomach that trapped the nine-tailed fox demon inside him. “No. That’s a strong seal and the wards we’re putting on your arms protect all of you. He’ll be fine. Wards and seal are a little different. Seals literally seal something whether that be a demon or a curse." His eyes flickered to Sasuke and the curse mark on his throat that was still clearly visible. It was also very well sealed. "Wards are a protection from something. In our case, the wards will act like a mask and allow us to pass through the magic protecting this place. It will make the magic perceive us as wizards and ignore us. It's not too difficult, if you know what you're doing. Fortunately, Gai and I DO know what we're doing. There, you’re all done."

Sasuke-

It was all entirely proper.

Sasuke knew that Kakashi-sensei wouldn’t hurt them. He’d had plenty of opportunity since he’d become their sensei and they’d come under his care and protection, but he had never done anything that would hurt them. Gai-san, also, was entirely harmless when it came to his Cell. He was, in fact, almost overprotective. The very idea that either of them would hurt their Cells was nonsense. So the fear Sasuke felt when he watched Gai-san and Kakashi-sensei touch the bare skin of their students was utterly ridiculous. He knew it was stupid, but he couldn’t help it.

'Naruto calls Kakashi-sensei a pervert… he doesn't get it.' Because real perverts were nothing like Kakashi-sensei who just read raunchy books. Real perverts touch and say things… and do things…

Sakura, Tenten, and Neji had their arms marked with ink the same as their cellmates had and soon everyone was done but Sasuke. He dreaded the moment, but when it came he steeled himself and obediently went to sit in front of his sensei.

"This won't hurt,” Kakashi-sensei told him. “You can do this?"

"I trust you." And even if he didn't, Sasuke wouldn't have admitted it in front of Cell 9. He wouldn’t make his Cell look weak.

Sasuke twitched when Kakashi-sensei touched his arm, but immediately forced himself to be still. 'It's for the mission. It's important.' He tried hard to stay still and silent. Kakashi-sensei's hands weren't as long or as soft as Orochimaru's were. He didn't leer. He didn't…

Sasuke tried to focus on the other people around him to drag his thoughts away from Orochimaru. Neji kept his arms bare, letting his ink dry. Tenten checked and rechecked the scrolls that contained her hidden weapons. Those weapons were unlikely to be needed on such a mission, but she was a girl who liked to be prepared. Naruto paced around them, swinging his arms with pent-up energy. Sakura sat at Kakashi-sensei’s side, watching carefully as he drew the marks on Sasuke’s arms.

"I'm done," Kakashi-sensei said, at last.

"Is that it?" Naruto asked. "Are we done? Can we go?"

"Only if you want to go in without us old men to slow you down." Gai-san laughed at himself even as he and Kakashi-sensei turned to each other. "You didn't think jonin would be immune to magic, did you?" They drew the wards on each other’s arms and, when they’d finished, they stood up and had to stop their students from running into the forest. Gai-san beamed at them. "So full of spirit! I'm proud of you all! But as we will be here for three weeks there is one more precaution we must take." Gai-san called his Cell to him and had them stand side-by-side while Kakashi-sensei did the same with Cell 7.

Facing their students, Kakashi-sensei and Gai-san began a fast, long series of hand movements. Their hands moved so quickly that they seemed to blur as Sasuke watched. It went on and on, tiring just to watch. Kakashi-sensei looked at Sasuke even as his hands continued to speed through the hand signs. "I'm sorry. This might be a bit uncomfortable." Both men shot their arms out and a force struck hard enough to throw Sasuke off his feet.

When Sasuke woke, Naruto was shaking his shoulder and Sakura was gently slapping his face. Sakura let out a relieved breath. "Thank goodness. We were starting to think you wouldn't wake up. I thought you'd be the first one up, not Lee."

Sasuke sat up with their help. He wasn't hurt, but shaken. Kakashi-sensei offered a hand to help Sasuke to his feet. "I did warn you."

"What was that?" Sasuke pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the offer of help. He wasn't that weak. He didn't need help just to stand.

"The wards had to be locked. Now, they won't simply wash off when you wash or if you're caught in the rain. They're only made of ink, you know. We can take them off when the mission's over." Kakashi-sensei then said, “I’m afraid the locking of the wards can affect people differently. If it makes you feel better, you weren’t the only one knocked out, Sasuke.”

Kakashi-sensei and Gai-san turned to each other. They didn't exchange a word before they started the series of hand signs over again. They threw their power at each other. Unlike their students, neither jonin fainted. Both staggered a bit, but they stayed on their feet.

"And we're done," Kakashi-sensei told them, at last. "Let's get moving, shall we? As soon as we reach the school grounds our mission starts. The sooner it starts, the sooner we can go home." He and Gai-san took off together, leading their students through the Forbidden Forest at a comfortable dash.

Later-

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was massive.

On the edge of the forest, Sasuke stood on a branch high in one of the old trees and looked out at the school.

Lacking elegance and grace, the school made up for it in sheer mass. The place was big. There was no other way to describe the castle. Sasuke had never actually seen a castle before, but he had to admit to being impressed. He'd never had a place as the target of a mission before and the mission intrigued him. There would be no killing or guarding, just looking for clues and loopholes in security.

"Flaw number one," Neji landed on the tree branch next to Sasuke. "Assumption of invulnerability. We haven't encountered a single guard or any protection other than the spell we've already bypassed."

"Agreed," Sasuke said, softly. "So, we know shinobi can get in." Sasuke thought, 'If the wards stay in place, this shouldn't be too difficult.'

Sasuke had never had to deal with wizards directly, though he had heard of them. He knew they were considered a dangerous society for their illogical ways, overly complicated laws, and cruelty. Law in shinobi villages was simple - the head of the village was always obeyed, absolutely.

"I have heard my uncle speak of Hogwarts," Neji said. "He spoke about it during lessons when we were young, when it was thought that Hinata-sama would head the clan one day and would need the information. This is a powerful place, not only magically, but politically. The headmaster is deeply respected by all levels of their government."

There was a large lake and a massive tree. Sasuke saw a wide field with high bleachers and, a short distance from where Neji and Sasuke stood, there was a large, round stone hut with billowing smoke wafting from a chimney. The land was covered in snow, a white blanket that sparkled in the afternoon sun. Somehow, even in the deep of winter, the trees around them held onto their leaves. It was a beautiful place.

"Uchiha, if you betray us again," Neji didn't look at Sasuke. "I will kill you. There will be no mercy from the Hokage. No more chances."

"I understand." Neji would not have an easy job of it. No matter what the circumstances, Sasuke had survived too long to give up his life easily. "I will not hurt my Cell."

"And the rest of us?"

Sasuke held his silence. He would offer no promises to another Cell. It was his Cell and Iruka-sensei who had stood by him when he'd needed them. They were the ones who still believed in him after all he'd done.

"More than just your Cell went to take you back from Orochimaru, Uchiha."

"You went to stop me from helping Orochimaru even if it meant killing me. You went because the Hokage wants my bloodline limit for the future of Konohagakure. She cannot have the sharigan dying with me. My Cell went to save me." Sasuke stared hard at Neji. "There is a difference."

Neji seemed to think about what Sasuke said. "Perhaps. I will still kill you at the first sign of betrayal. MY Cell is here and I won’t let you put them in danger."

Sasuke could hardly argue with that. "Understood.”

"Can you see anything with the sharigan?"

Sasuke activated his sharigan - his eyes turned blood red with swirling black tomoe marks - and looked carefully at the students milling around the school. "Interesting. I see…" It was hard to describe. Sasuke had never seen anything quite like it. The sharigan was a unique talent limited to Sasuke’s family and it allowed him to see so well that he could almost instantly understand and copy anything he watched someone do. He could see chakra, but… what he saw… "It’s not chakra. It must be their magic. It’s different, but I can see energy being drawn to them. Chakra comes from within, but this magic is coming from all around. It looks like it's coming out of the air around them. It hovers around them like an aura. I need to get closer. From what Kakashi-sensei and Gai-san have said, wizards can be very dangerous."

Neji scoffed. "I don't believe they're a real threat to us. They can't control chakra. I doubt a single one of them even knows how to properly use their own body. Still, we shall see once we get a closer look at them." Neji focused on the school and then turned his eyes up to a flock of owls soaring overhead. "A closer look is definitely in order."

Hogwarts didn't look like a school.

School, to Sasuke, was the Academy.

When Sasuke had gone to the Academy for the first time, it was his big brother, Itachi, who had walked him there and introduced him to Iruka-sensei. "Stand up straight," Itachi had whispered to Sasuke as they walked down the wide halls of the Academy. "You want Umino-sensei to think well of you, don't you? Did you remember your lunch?"

Later, Itachi had butchered the family.

The Academy was a small building with only four classrooms, one classroom each for the nine, ten, eleven, and twelve-year-old classes. Roughly fifteen students to a class, so there were rarely more than eighty students in the whole academy at any one time. There were four teachers, each one staying with a single group of students for four years, until they graduated. For four years, Sasuke had studied under Iruka-sensei, the best of the teachers. The other teachers were nothing. He couldn't even remember their faces and decided that it was good fortune that put him in Iruka-sensei's class.

How many students resided in the school called Hogwarts? The place was bigger than some villages Sasuke had passed through. Perhaps there were hundreds of students. Perhaps it wasn't entirely a school, but only a few rooms that were being used. The rest of the castle could be deserted, for all that Sasuke knew.

"You two coming or what?" Naruto interrupted Sasuke's thoughts as he swung up next to Neji. He grinned. "Sakura has a plan all worked out."

Back at camp they found Sakura where they'd left her, sitting cross-legged on the ground with her wide brow furrowed in thought and her eyes unfocused. The only difference in their encampment was that Gai-san and Kakashi-sensei had pulled their bags into the high trees where, they told their students, they would be spending the night.

It was after they'd eaten and exchanged information about what they'd seen in their brief scouting mission that Sakura told everyone what she'd decided was the most effective plan. "It's simple. To be thorough, we need to scout inside and out looking for weak spots, right?" She didn't so much as pause before going on. "One of us has to get on the inside. We need someone to get close to the students. After all, security isn't only physical. There are more than likely students capable of letting enemies in. We'll need to single out a student and replace them."

Naruto made a face at her. "I don't get it."

"If we can have one of us directly interacting with the students and professors it will be all the easier to overhear rumors, whispers, and get a real feel for the place. The student we replace is going to have to be taken somewhere safe. Lee, you're the fastest so you'll take him back to the village and keep him safe. We've only got a couple of weeks, but if you keep him out here there's the danger of an attack the client fears could happen and the student might be hurt. Part of the mission is to avoid harming anyone."

"Yes!" Lee jumped to his feet and threw both fists into the air. "The most important job of all is mine! I won't let you down!"

Sakura went on, "We'll have to find the perfect target – someone that no one will miss, someone with no close friends and no ties who might realize the switch."

Switch? Sasuke frowned a bit. He hadn't thought about that. Substituting one of their own for one of the students was a good way to get information.

"I agree. It'll have to be just the right person and whoever does the replacing will have to use up a good deal of chakra on the constant illusion of keeping the face changed." Tenten smiled and looked at Neji. "We'll need some observation work done to find this perfect candidate to replace. We'll all take a run around the school to see what we can find and meet back here in about an hour."

Kakashi-sensei and Gai-san exchanged an amused look. "I feel old," Kakashi-sensei told Gai-san. "The children don't need us to help them plan anymore."

Gai-san started to cry. "It's so beautiful when they start to grow-up! Before we know it, they'll be killing targets without supervision."

They set out at once, dashing though the forest at a relatively easy run. Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura took the canopy, running along the tops of the trees, while Neji, Tenten, and Lee jumped and swung from branch to branch near the middle of the trees. Gai-san and Kakashi-sensei ran on the ground, only occasionally journeying upwards to check on their Cells.

There were many creatures in the forest and most of them were different than what Sasuke had seen in the Forest of Death. They even happened to catch a glimpse of creatures that looked half-horse and half-human. Those, Kakashi-sensei had said, would bear watching.

There were insanely big spiders and lizards that breathed fire just as well as Sasuke. There were birds big enough to swallow cows and fearsome, moving trees. Sasuke enjoyed it. There were new, interesting things to see around every corner, new surprises. For the most part, they focused on the school, though.

That first day went well and before long, the target was found by Cell 9.

"Hey, wait!" All of Cell 7 stopped running and turned around when they heard Lee's voice behind them. With his incredible speed, Lee ran to them. “I wanted to stop you before you’d gone too far. Everyone else stopped a bit ago – Neji thinks he’s found the boy we can replace; he just went to get a closer look. Gai-san said to get you."

They followed Lee to where Kakashi-sensei, Gai-san, and Tenten were waiting on several large branches near the edge of the forest. All of them were watching the school and its students who were, once again, wandering around on the school grounds in heavy cloaks and thick scarves to protect themselves against the winter cold.

"Where's Neji?" Sakura asked when she landed beside Tenten.

"Getting a little closer. There. He doesn’t even think there will be much need for a lot of genjutsu for a disguise."

Sakura craned her neck and squinted her eyes, trying to get a closer look. "Which one's Neji?"

"He's… ah. There he is." Tenten nodded slightly to where a boy walked casually towards the trees where the Cells were waiting. The boy looked very little like Neji, but as Neji was acknowledged by all as the genius of his graduating class, the young shinobi with the most potential in Konohagakure, it was no great surprise that he was able to manage such a clever illusion. "Neji saw him and wanted to get a closer look just to be sure. You know," she glanced at Sakura. "We could do this without replacing anyone. Neji used genjutsu to take a nondescript form and just slipped in. I don't think anyone was the wiser."

"That was only for a few minutes," Sakura countered. "We need someone who can actually talk to the students and the teachers. Someone who can stay undercover for a couple of weeks, if necessary. They'll be bound to notice an extra student milling about. Even if we just do observation and use ninjutsu to sneak around the school the best we’ll do is overhear conversations. This way is better. Someone who can interact can direct conversations and get more information. If they are caught while trying to look around it won't look as suspicious."

Shortly after, Neji - without the genjustu disguise that made him look like a student - stood with them on the high branches of the trees. "He's a near perfect match for Uchiha. The physical resemblance is uncanny." Neji was never one to waste words. "We couldn't ask for better. He's pale and dark haired along with being of a similar height, though he doesn’t have the build Uchiha has. I think that won’t be a problem as the robes would disguise the difference. I suggest," he turned his eyes to Sakura and Tenten, who'd done most of the planning for the mission. "That Uchiha spends a day or so in observation of the boy."

Sasuke nodded, agreeing. He would need at least a day, if he was going to pass as a wizard for any amount of time. He would have to learn the boy's habits and mannerisms. The magic would prove a terrible hurdle, but Sasuke was confident in his skill and training. He would pass for the other boy.

"Did you find out what the insignias are for?" Tenten asked. At Sakura's questioning look, Tenten explained, "Those colorful badges they all wear. Did you see them? They wear scarves and gloves to match the colors of the badges. I was just curious what it all meant."

"There are four variations of the insignia with predominant colors of green, red, yellow, and blue as well as an animal symbolized on each one. There is a lion, a badger, a bird - perhaps an eagle or a hawk - and a serpent," Neji said. "I did not overhear the reason for the insignias and didn't think it wise to ask so blatant a question. I suppose it must be important."

Sasuke looked out at the students, again. "Which one is he?"

"There," Neji pointed to a lone boy. "That one."

Two days passed-

Neji watched the school. It wasn't unusual for him to take Lee or Tenten with him while he went to different spots in the forest to watch the school with his byakugan vision. The byakugan was different from Sasuke’s sharigan in that it allowed Neji to see everything. For almost 360 degrees all around himself, Neji could see virtually everything. He could see through objects and people. The only down-side was that it had a limited range and most of the castle was outside his range when he stayed in the forest. He needed to get closer.

“This is foolish,” Neji growled with frustration. “That building is too big!” Even when he would creep close at night, he couldn’t see all the way through it. “I need to get inside.”

“Concentrate on what you’ve already found outside the school,” Gai-san advised. “You’ve found tunnels underground that lead from the school to the forest and that nearby town. All that needs to be mapped out and it’s just as important as what's inside the school.”

Sasuke, also, watched. Unlike Neji, Sasuke focused on the boy.

After Neji had pointed out the boy, Sasuke had to agree that the similarity was remarkable. The boy might have been a long lost brother or cousin. While he watched, the others continued the sweep around the school. They never approached more than the edge of the forest, except for Neji's brief walk onto the grounds when he'd found the boy they would use.

Using the sharigan, Sasuke watched all the magic he possibly could. From watching those few examples of magic, Sasuke was able to learn a little. He didn't like it. Iruka-sensei always said that a little information was a dangerous thing and Sasuke felt like he had far too little information to go on. Kakashi-sensei and Gai-san, who had both preformed missions dealing with wizards, gave Sasuke as much information as they could, but it still didn’t seem like enough.

One little mistake, he knew, and he would be found out. The mission would fail. The Hokage would never trust him with anything. Perhaps he would be executed if she thought he'd done it on purpose. Perhaps he would just be cut from the Cell and someone else would be allowed to steal his place.

‘Stop it,’ Sasuke reprimanded himself at the dismal thoughts. ‘I can replicate anything. The sharigan will show me how to copy anything. Magic is different, as Kakashi-sensei told us, but it's close. Close enough for me to muddle through a couple of weeks.’

Sasuke, always with back-up, followed the boy into the school and learned what classes he had, where he slept, and where he spent his time. He learned the names of some of the boy's classmates and teachers. He learned the words to some magic spells and he learned how he should behave.

On the third morning of the mission, Kakashi-sensei sat by Sasuke at breakfast and asked, "Are you nervous?"

"I can do this, sensei."

"That's not what I asked. Anyway, you'll have to remember to be careful. Iruka won't be happy if I don't bring you home."

"The rest of the village might celebrate, though."

"Maybe. We'll be taking the boy as soon as everyone's eaten." Kakashi-sensei held a transmitter unit, an earpiece and a voice collar, in his hands. "The transmitters don't work, here. Sorry. One of the spells cast around this school is that technology doesn't work. We couldn't get passed it." The transmitter collar and earpiece was often used for shinobi Cells to communicate during missions. Sasuske had worn them more than once. "We can ward them, like we did to ourselves, so the transmitter itself works. The signal just won't get through. Something happens to it from when you speak into the voice collar and when it should reach the earpiece of whoever you're trying to talk to. The signal gets destroyed. They're useless."

"It's okay," Sasuke told him. "I'll take my chances."

"No, you won't." Kakashi-sensei looked at Sasuke seriously. "You know why we were put on this mission in the first place? Cell 9 could have handled this without us. If the Hokage had wanted to put two Cells on the mission just to satisfy the client, she should have chosen Kurenai's Cell. The Hokage could have had another Hyuuga, Hinata, and Aburame Shino along with his insects. Both of them are far better suited to espionage missions than anyone on our Cell. She chose us. Why?"

Sasuke did know why they were chosen. "To give me a chance to prove I can be relied upon."

"That's right. We cannot fail. You can't afford it and we don’t want to lose you. Gai sent Neji out with instructions to look for someone you could impersonate, giving you the most vital role of this mission. Luck gave us a boy who resembles you so that when our report is handed in to the Hokage, you will shine - if we succeed. You'll have a back-up at all times, but they'll have to keep completely concealed unless there is a situation in which you may be killed. Tenten will watch your back during the day and Sakura will guard you at night while you're sleeping. It's been agreed upon."

"By whom?" Sakura asked, sitting next to Kakashi-sensei. With a piece of rabbit she'd been eating still in hand, she frowned at Kakashi-sensei. "This is the first I've heard of it. Of course I'll do it, but…."

"But," Kakashi-sensei told her in a tone that forbade argument. "This was a command decision. Gai and I agreed and we are still the jonin of these Cells. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." Sakura bowed her head in apology. When she looked up, her face was red with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean anything, sensei. I just… I like all the planning part of the mission and I think I got used to it when you didn’t stop us from planning, earlier.”

Gai-san slapped Sakura on the shoulder and nearly knocked her over. "Don't look so down-hearted! We are both most happy with the decisions you've made Haruno-kun. You'll make a fine jonin, one day. However, there are some things important enough that there will be no discussion. Now," he looked around at everyone. "Have we all finished breakfast? Yes? Good." His eyes shone brightly and he punched a fist into the air. "Today, we find our target and begin infiltration."

Naruto laughed. "Don't you mean, 'Today we kidnap an unsuspecting boy'?"

To be continued…


	5. Burned

Chapter 5: Burned

  
Day 3 -

  
Sasuke left the Forbidden Forest with Neji and Sakura after everyone had eaten a breakfast of the normal ration bars everyone used on missions, water, and a very nice deer Tenten killed for them. Sasuke was as ready as he would ever be for the mission that would restore him or ruin him.

It had been decided that the best place to take the boy would be as far from the school as possible and that was the groundskeeper's home. The others waited in the forest. There wasn't any point in bringing everyone into the open. Even three people were too many for a simple kidnapping, in Sasuke's opinion.

They hid behind the groundkeeper's house. It was not exactly large, nor was it small. It was round, built of stone, with a thatched roof and a chimney puffing out gray smoke. Though it was winter, Sasuke could clearly see the furrows in the ground where a garden would be planted in the growing season. There were pens for animals set up on one side of the little house. A wide path had been shoveled from the door of the little house up to the school - a long, winding walkway with an inch of snow built up on it.

"You're sure he's coming today?" Neji whispered. He squatted beside Sasuke next to the stone house. On Sasuke's other side, Sakura leaned slightly to the left so she could see around the house. Neji snorted and reached over Sasuke to lightly slap Sakura's shoulder. "Don't do that. You'll be seen. I'll do it." He activated his byakyugan and stared at the stone house with those remarkable eyes that let him see through the building.

There was a moment's silence while they waited for Neji's report, but Sasuke - for the time being - wasn't interested in the boy they were about to kidnap. He glared at Neji.

"You have a problem?" Neji asked. It was easy to forget that with the byakyugan Neji could see everything in all directions. He could see Sasuke's expression without looking at him.

"Don't hit Sakura."

Sakura tugged on Sasuke's sleeve. "He didn't hurt me. It was barely a touch. Don’t worry about it."

But barely a touch was all Neji needed to kill. With the Hyuuga's fearsome fighting style, all Neji had to do was graze a fingertip against his enemy's skin and they would be helpless. "Don't touch Sakura," Sasuke repeated. "Well? Is he there, yet? I don't hear any footsteps."

"Not yet." Neji let his eyes turn back to their normal state. "He may not come."

"He'll come. He's a creature of habit and his habits include morning visits to the groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid." Sasuke stood and leaned over Sakura to look towards the school. Despite what Neji thought, Sasuke and Sakura were both well-trained enough not to be caught. A simple look would do no harm. They were only just able to see the front door of the little house.

The door of the little house opened and the groundskeeper stomped out. He was huge. Even after seeing him several times, Sasuke was awed by the sheer size of the man. His hands were so big that he looked as if he could crush a horse with his bare hands. Even with heavy layers of leather and wool to shield him from the winter cold, Sasuke could tell that the man was a solid wall of muscle. He carried a shovel that would have been impossible for anyone else to use. It looked as if it had been built just for him.

Sakura, peeking around the corner with Sasuke, stiffened at the sight of the groundskeeper. He was a shocking sight.

They watched silently while he worked on clearing the small build up of snow from around his doorstep then lean the shovel against his home. He smiled, satisfied with what he'd done, then lumbered towards the school, humming happily as he went.

When he was out of sight, Sakura relaxed. "No matter how many times I've seen him, that man is still incredible!" A smile broke out on her face. "I wonder how he is in a fight."

"Clumsy," Neji told her. "He's too big to move properly. He'd be too slow in a fight."

"That's what people say about Choji," Sakura reminded him. She pulled back to their hiding place and, again, they all crouched down together, waiting. "But he's pretty good, if you ask me. Not to mention Choji’s father."

Neji shrugged. Choji wasn't in Neji's league and everyone knew it. "Trust me. That Hagrid isn't a fighter. He's not trained."

A short while later, they all heard the soft crunching of snow at the same time and fell silent. Neji activated the byakyugan and looked though the house. "He's coming."

Sasuke swallowed hard. It shouldn’t have been a difficult mission. There was no reason at all to worry, but Sasuke worried regardless. Failure for a shinobi was to be avoided at all costs, but the knowledge of what it would mean if he were to fail this particular mission made Sasuke’s stomach feel as if it had been tied in a knot. ‘But I won't fail. I won't. I'll show them I've changed. I'll prove they can trust me.’ More than that, he would prove that his Cell and Iruka-sensei weren't wrong. If he DID fail, they would look like fools before the village because they'd believed in him. Perhaps the Hokage wouldn't give Cell 7 important missions. Perhaps Iruka-sensei wouldn't be trusted as he'd always been. ‘They aren't wasting their faith. I won't make the same mistakes again. I'll prove they can trust me.’

Sasuke and Sakura, unable to see like Neji, leapt up and landed on the roof of the groundskeeper's home to get a better view of the boy. They crawled on their bellies until they could see over the peak of the roof where they could watch the boy's approach. He walked slowly with his shoulders hunched and his robe wrapped tightly around himself. He carried a plain satchel with a long strap over his shoulder.

"He's injured," Sakura said with a little frown. "He's got a limp. What happened?"

"A school yard fight," Sasuke answered. "Three-on-one and he took the worst of it. He was in the infirmary the last time I checked on him. While he pretended to sleep they burned his foot." He’d thought it strange at the time. Why would the boy's attackers go to so much effort and then just leave an enemy alive? Torture? It seemed the most likely reason and it made Sasuke think less of the students at Hogwarts. Torture was nothing but unnecessary cruelty. Unless, of course, it was part of the job. There were some shinobi who were artists when it came to torture and took great pride in it.

More odd still, why had the boy pretended to sleep while he'd been burned? Sasuke had been sure that he'd been awake.

The boy went directly to the stone house where he waited patiently at the door, his arms wrapped around himself while he frowned at his feet. The sunlight on the snow seemed all the brighter when looking at the boy dressed all in black.

Sasuke moved forward, bracing himself against the thatching of the roof. It would have been simple to jump down and seize the boy. Sakura stopped him with a hand on his arm. When he looked at her questioningly, she pointed down the path where the groundskeeper was coming back to his home. The groundskeeper smiled brightly at the boy.

"Didn't have to wait for me," the groundskeeper laughed. "It's not locked."

"That would hardly be polite. Don't normal people wait to be invited in?"

"I guess. You're welcomed here. You know that, right?"

They went in together and the door was closed behind them.

Sasuke and Sakura slid down the roof and back down onto the ground, landing silently next to Neji. They all squatted down, sitting on their heels.

"We wait." Sakura leaned her back against the house, balancing on her feet with her arms wrapped around her knees. "We don't want any witnesses. We can wait. He's a loner. We'll catch him alone sooner or later."

The chance came just a few minutes later, in fact. The groundskeeper left his home, walking briskly towards the school. He didn’t quite run, but he wasn’t wasting any time, either.

"Now. Let’s go," Sakura whispered, pushing herself to her feet. There was a window directly above where they hid, but they wouldn't try it. "No need to frighten him. We'll just walk in. It'll make him feel more at ease."

They entered the house with Sakura at the lead and Neji bringing up the rear.

The boy sat in a chair by a fire. Obviously, everything in the house was built to suit the huge groundskeeper. This boy’s left foot was bare and set up on a footstool. They could all easily see the white, swollen burn in the middle of the sole of his foot. His schoolbag sat on his lap and a plate of food rested on a large table next to the chair. The moment they entered, he looked up at them sharply with suspicious black eyes. His long, bony hands tightened on the arms of the chair he sat in. "What are you doing here?"

There was a low, menacing growl from a gray-muzzled old dog. It had been sitting by the boy's feet, but now stood with a lowered head and its teeth bared. Old it might be, but it had an attitude that would have done any of Kakashi-sensei's hounds proud. The dog lashed its tail back and forth, warily eyeing the intruders.

The boy absently reached down and touched the dog's head. "Hush, Ol' Man. Hush.” The dog quieted and lay down, again. The boy then said to Sasuke, Sakura, and Neji, “You'd better go. He doesn't like strangers."

"We came to see you," Sakura told him, brightly. She smiled sweetly and breezed into the one room house with a light step, completely ignoring the dog. Sasuke couldn't manage her light-hearted attitude so easily and slid himself into the darker shadows around the perimeter of the room. Neji, still and silent as ever, stood near the doorway and kept his eyes focused on the outside. Sakura asked, "Are you planning to go away for the holiday?"

"For Christmas break? No. I'll stay here." He frowned at her and grabbed his boot, pulling it on as quickly as he could, despite the burn. "Why? Who are you?" While he spoke, the boy kept looking at the door where Neji stood as if hoping for an escape.

Sakura sat down in a chair opposite of the boy and crossed one leg over the other. "We aren't here to hurt you so you can stop looking so bleak. There's nothing to worry about. You can call me Sakura."

The boy's eyes darted again to Neji and his whole posture screamed of wariness, of fear. The boy did well to hide it, but not well enough to hide it from a shinobi. The caution was sensible. Even without his all-seeing eyes, Neji was an intimidating character. Strange that the boy also tensed when he glanced at Sasuke. He wasn't menacing, not like Neji.

"That's Neji," Sakura said when she saw where the boy was looking. "He'll tell us if anyone's coming to interrupt us."

"You don't have to tell him everything," Sasuke muttered, irritably. He knew why Sakura had taken the lead. She was the friendliest out of their lot and, being so, was better able to put the boy at ease. However, Sasuke had always believed in keeping some things secret and he feared that Sakura, in an effort to relax the boy, would say too much.

"It's only good manners. Lies are useless and unproductive at this stage." The smile never left her face. "That grump is Sasuke, in case you're wondering. He’s a friend of mine. And what's your name?" It was just another ploy to relax him. Sakura already knew his name. Sasuke had told her as soon as he’d found out.

The boy shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I’m Severus Snape. Does Mister Hagrid know you're here?"

"No. We need you, Snape-san. You see…"

"Incoming," Neji muttered.

Sakura frowned. "Out, then."

She was entirely right. While they could probably have taken Snape-san without incident, there was a chance of being seen and there was very little likelihood that Sasuke could turn himself into Snape-san before the groundskeeper walked in. It would have to wait. Sasuke pressed his hands together and transported himself a short distance to behind the cabin.

Neji joined him seconds later. "It's three of the four boys you reported earlier."

Sasuke nodded, but steeled himself. Sakura was still inside the groundskeeper's house. Those boys had little in the way of restraint and were therefore dangerous. Sasuke pressed his ear to the wall. He used the tips of his fingers to open the window a crack, just enough to hear Sakura's voice.

"Don't breathe a word about us," Sakura said softly and Sasuke could imagine her holding up a finger against her lips. "It's a secret."

She appeared next to Sasuke an instant later with only a small puff of smoke. The three of them crouched close to the window and listened carefully. Sasuke, as he'd been closely watching Snape-san for the past week, recognized the first voice to speak. Sirius Black - school bully.

The dog, Ol' Man, was growling just as menacingly as he had when the shinobi had walked in. The only difference was that Snape-san didn't try to hush him.

"Well, what have we here? Snively, did you come by to harass Hagrid? Or was he the only one who could stand to be near you? You sure smell like an animal." He stomped gracelessly into the little house and his voice oozed contempt. "Oh, breakfast? Too good to eat with us commoners, are you?"

When Snape-san spoke it was sharp and biting - his usual tone for Black-san. "If you're so bored, why don't you go play with the whooping willow? It's great fun. Better still, go tease Malfoy about his hair." Sasuke could practically hear Snape-san grinning. "Do tell me when and where you'll do it, though. I'd give my left foot to see that."

"You know, you're not one to be teasing other people about their hair. At least Malfoy keeps his washed. I think I'll tell Hagrid you're lurking around eating all his food." Just from listening, Sasuke could hear two others walk into the room behind Sirius Black. "I don't think he'd appreciate you dripping your grease everywhere."

"I was invited here, unlike some trespassers," Snape-san answered. "I'll have to tell Mister Hagrid he should set up some security spells to keep unwanted mongrels out of his home. At least Ol' Man only drools and bites. Merlin only knows what some mutts would do when let loose in a person's home. Soil the carpet, most likely."

Sasuke had yet to figure out what all these jabs about dogs were about. What was said wasn't exactly insults, as Sasuke heard it, but the tones were definitely insulting. If Snape-san's tongue weren't so sharp, perhaps Sasuke would have had an easier time with the mission. Sasuke preferred to ignore whoever was irritating him and just walk away. Being ignored was often the worst thing that could be done to a person. Sirius Black was the type of person who would be infuriated to be ignored.

They heard the front door open again and Hagrid-san's booming voice, "And what would you lot be doing here? Don't recall having given out invitations to breakfast. Off with you now before you get yourselves into mischief."

"We were just coming for a visit, Hagrid," one of the other boys, James Potter, said, charmingly. "We haven't seen a lot of you lately and thought you might be lonely. I can see we were wrong. We'll just head back and let you get on with whatever you were doing. Come on, Siri. Pete."

There was silence for a moment until the heavy door closed again. "Isn't that odd? They haven't come visiting since their first year and then they were only curious, like all the little ones are. Well, never mind. I've got something from Madam Ratian that should clear up that burn on your foot." Hagrid stomped heavily across the room and stopped near the window. "She said this should clear it up just fine, but wanted me to give you a talkin' to about skipping out when she's not looking. She wanted to give you another once over. Here, what's that look for?"

There was a moment of long, tense silence. If Snape-san told the groundskeeper about their visit, it would complicate matters. Not too badly, but badly enough. Sasuke would have told. He wouldn't have hesitated to tell his superior about suspicious characters invading his home. In fact, if he'd found someone prowling around Iruka-sensei's home, he would have killed the intruder before he reported it.

"Lad?" Hagrid-san asked, sounding concerned. "Is there something wrong?"

"Do you have a backdoor?"

Sakura whispered to Sasuke, her breath warm on his ear, "He didn't see any of us leave. He saw the smoke, but that was it. He must think we just vanished."  
"Wizards can do that," Neji added. "It's called apparition, I believe."

Hagrid-san laughed at Snape-san's question. It was a loud, bellowing sound that showed how terrible Hagrid-san's voice might have been if he weren't quite so good-natured. "You've been visiting me for two years, lad. Right since that first day of your first year. You know I've only got one door. Now, get your foot up on the stool. Why did you put that boot back on? You'll do yourself no favors if you don't rest yourself. Madam Ratian said you could skip classes if it's bothering you too much."

Snape-san answered quickly, "I'll be fine. I don't think that'll work, though."

"No?"

Snape-san snorted. "Madam Ratian keeps outdated salves. What I make is fresher and, therefore, better. I've already tried my own mix on the wound and it didn't work. In fact, it hurt more. It'll just have to heal on its own."

"Well, there you are!" Hagrid-san said, cheerfully. "Of course it hurt. Gotta hurt to know it's working."

Severus scowled and jerked his foot away from Hagrid's hand. "Your logic is flawed. I don't want it."

Hagrid sighed and sat back on his haunches. "What can I do, lad? I want to help."

There was silence for a long time in the hut. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Never mind. I should go to class."

"You haven't eaten, yet. You love eggs."

"I'm not really that hungry. Thank you." They heard Snape-san's slow, limping walk move across the house. The door opened then softly closed.

"He's outside," Neji whispered. "The groundskeeper is not following." The veins around his eyes pulsed. "Hagrid-san is sitting on a large chair with his head in his hands. He doesn't look as if he's going anywhere."

Sakura nodded, sharply. "Let's go."

Snape-san hadn't gone far. When the three shinobi moved around the cabin, Snape-san was only about ten yards from the front steps. Sakura sped up her steps until she was right behind Snape-san and lightly touched his elbow. "Hi."

The reaction was almost violent. He spun sharply around and glared, his black eyes glittered angrily and one hand had slipped into the folds of his dark robes. From the way his arm tensed, Sasuke knew the boy had found something in there and was gripping it. A wand, most likely.

Snape-san realized, belatedly, who it was and his stance relaxed, somewhat. "You again?"

"Yup. Me, again."

Despite her effort in being friendly and her hands clearly being empty of weapons, Snape-san backed away from Sakura. His eyes flickered away from her to Sasuke, then to Neji, then back to Sakura. He focused on her, apparently deciding that she was the leader. "What do you want?"

"You. It's time to go on a little trip."

Snape-san's eyes darted behind them, towards the groundskeeper's home.

"He won't come," Neji said. The veins around his eyes were protruding, pulsing again. Snape-san recoiled a step when he saw the Hyuuga byakugan. "That man is clearing away the dishes from your breakfast. He paused to pat his dog. Now he's started to mop up slush that you and those other boys tracked into his house." The veins around Neji's eyes became normal and he focused on Snape-san instead of what was happening inside the little stone house. "You see? It's no good hoping for a rescue. You will come with us."

"I really haven't the time. Excuse me, I'm late for class."

Sakura shook her head. "I'm sorry, but you have no choice." Sakura lurched forward quickly and seized Snape-san by his skinny shoulders. She yanked him hard enough to pull him off his feet, but it was Sasuke who caught him and held him until Neji tapped the spot on the back of the neck that left Snape-san insensible.

The boy slumped at once. He never even had time to yell. Sasuke carefully lifted Snape-san onto his shoulder to carry him and the three of them made for the forest as quickly as they could. Students would start coming out of the school before long and there was always a chance that the groundskeeper would leave his house and spot them.

They ran until they reached their camp where the rest of the Cells were waiting for them. It was no trouble for Sasuke to carry Snape-san. The boy was lighter than any girl of Konohagakure.

They took Snape-san to one of the large trees, an ancient thing that must have been a thousand years old. The first branch, several feet wide, was almost twenty feet from the ground. On that branch the rest of Cells 7 and 9 waited. The three of them ran up the tree's trunk and stopped at that first branch, the place Gai-san had chosen as a sort of campsite. It was safer, he'd said, than camping on the ground.

Sasuke stood in front of Kakashi-sensei and laid Snape-san on the tree branch on his back.

"So," Kakashi-sensei was lounging with his back against the tree's wide trunk and his legs straddling the branch. "This is him? Good choice." Even as he spoke, Kakashi-sensei kept his one uncovered eye on his book. "Do you plan to wake him or keep him asleep until he gets to Konohagakure?"

Neji shrugged, but Tenten lightly slapped his arm. "Oh, wake him up. Poor guy might as well know what's going on."

When Sasuke had laid Snape-san on his back his robe had fallen slightly apart, showing his too short black trousers and the scuffed black shoes. There were little pockets on the insides of Snape-san's robes and whatever was in those pockets weighed the robe down enough that it hung off the branch. The effect made Snape-san look like he was an immense bat resting on the branch with his wings hanging down.

Just a slight touch was all it took for Neji to wake Snape-san and he woke as if he'd never been asleep. His whole body jerked, seeing all the faces looking down at him, but when he tried to scramble away, he noticed where he was and looked down. He froze. His pale skin went deathly white as he looked at the ground far below. His breath hissed between his teeth and he forced his eyes back up to his captors. "What is this?"

"A kidnapping." Kakashi-sensei closed his book and tucked it back into his vest. "Yours to be precise."

"I see." Snape-san's hands clutched at his book bag, apparently more afraid that it would be taken from him than he was of being kidnapped or falling to his death. His eyes narrowed. "You can tell my uncle this won't work."

‘Interesting.’

"My uncle sent you, didn't he? There isn't any other reason for a kidnapping. My estimation of him has gone down considerably. How unsubtle." As was usual for him, when in a stressful situation, Snape-san opened his mouth and said exactly what he was thinking. "You think the headmaster won't notice I'm gone? You're all more idiotic than you look and I would have thought that was impossible." He looked sharply at Kakashi-sensei. "What kind of cut-rate kidnappers is he hiring if he's got to resort to old men and children?"

It was enough to make Naruto bristle, Neji scowl, and Kakashi-sensei chuckle.

Snape-san trembled all over either from pent up rage or anxiety about the situation. "Can't you even give me an answer? Are you all so stupid that you can't even speak? What's his brainless plan? Going to take me to him and then what? Kill me? How unimaginative." Snape-san laughed bitterly. "Hasn't even got the courage to come himself. That dirty, lying…"

"You talk a lot," Kakashi-sensei said softly, but in such a tone that Snape-san stopped talking. Kakashi-sensei put a finger to his ear and scratched. "Honestly, I don't know what you're going on about."

"True," Gai-san nodded. "We haven't anything to do with your uncle."

It made Snape-san all the angrier and Sasuke hadn't thought that was possible. "Don't treat me like a fool!"

"Then don't act like one," Neji said in a low, no-nonsense tone. "Tenten, are you sure this will work? He acts nothing like Uchiha."

Tenten nodded confidently. "It'll work. Sakura-san and I have worked out all the details. This one is perfect. Uchiha can keep up the act and it's only for a couple of weeks."

"Right," Neji nodded briskly, making the two long strips of fabric hanging from his hitae jerk, then turned to Snape-san. "Take your robe off."

Really, Snape-san couldn't be blamed for his reaction. Anyone would panic and Neji wasn't the most tactful of people. Snape-san pulled his wand out, but never had the chance to use it. Sasuke snatched it from Snape-san's hand, easily.

Sasuke looked at the wand appraisingly, turning it this way and that. "This is what they use to channel their power. A wand. I'll need your other stuff, too."

Snape-san wasn't a coward. He leapt at Sasuke, but Naruto had grabbed him and threw him onto his belly on the branch. Then, Naruto sat on Snape-san's back to keep him from wiggling free. When Snape-san started to reach into the folds of his robes Lee took hold of his wrists to stop him.

The whole situation would have been a lot easier if they hadn't been so concerned with the terms of the contract. No one was to be hurt and that included Snape-san.

"Let me go!" Snape-san yelled as loudly as he could, but Lee and Naruto weren't about to let go. Snape-san kicked and thrashed as furiously as he could.

"Geeze!" Naruto complained. "Do you always make so much noise? It's not like we're going to hurt you or anything. Calm down and we'll let you up."

"Unwise," Neji muttered.

"Shut up," Naruto snarled. He'd never liked Neji. "Just because we've got a job to do doesn't mean we have to scare the poor guy."

While they argued, Sasuke curiously activated his sharigan and examined the wand. It was nothing more than a stick. It looked dead. "It's only wood." Sasuke couldn't understand. When used by one of the wizards or witches, the sticks would light up brilliantly. Once, when he'd first started watching Snape-san, Sasuke had wondered what it looked like when a wizard focused and released all that magic that he'd seen hovering around them. He'd looked with the sharigan and had almost been blinded by the flash of intense light that shot out of the wand. "How does it work? Why?"

Kakashi-sensei said, "I couldn't tell you. Boys, let him up."

Naruto and Lee quickly did as they were told and let Snape-san go, but the moment they did, his hand snaked inside his robe and he pulled out one of the many tiny vials he kept there. Sasuke knew about all those little glass vials. He'd been watching long enough to see Snape-san making the mixtures and taking tiny samples to keep. Snape-san was obsessive, checking them every morning and night as if he were afraid they'd be stolen or damaged.

Snape-san threw the vial onto the branch where it shattered and a choking storm of dust erupted from it, taking them all by surprise. They shouldn't have been. They'd seen and used similar weapons on missions, but never coming from a vial.

‘Very interesting.’

Sasuke, as he held his arm over his mouth and nose and leapt away from the dust to the branch of another tree, found himself wondering what other things Snape-san kept in those dozens of little bottles.

When the dust cleared, Sasuke saw that both Cells had leapt away from the branch except for Kakashi-sensei who still wore his mask over his face and didn't seem bothered by the dust. He stood in front of Snape-san and held of both of Snape-san's wrists far enough over the boy's head that Snape-san was forced to stand on the tips of his toes.

"That was clever." Kakashi-sensei sounded like he was laughing. "You're a bright boy. I think you'll make life interesting at the village for the next few weeks. Pity I won't see it."

Snape-san snarled and kicked, deliberately catching Kakashi-sensei in the crotch. It made Sasuke cringe. Kakashi-sensei released the boy and doubled over. "I hate children," Kakashi-sensei muttered.

Snape-san, once dropped, turned to run away from Kakashi-sensei. There wasn't much room to run. As he ran further out onto the branch it narrowed and he lost his footing. He would have fallen if Lee hadn't leapt from where he'd gone to escape the dust back to the large branch and caught him by the back of his shirt. "Let me go! Let me go, now! You babbling ape! Let go!" It seemed he would rather fall to his death than be captive. 

"Ah! Such a brave fighter! Gai-sensei, he shows great courage!" Lee was obviously charmed by Snape-san's fighting spirit.

"That he does, my youthful charge!" Gai-san stood beside where Lee was kneeling, holding Snape-san as he dangled in midair. "As heartwarming as it is to see that even wizard youths have such inspiring energy, I really think you ought to stop and think, young man." He crouched down to talk to Snape-san. "You'll do yourself harm. 

Neji nodded and dropped down from the branch he'd been on to stand beside Gai-san. "You should not try to avoid what is inevitable. Pull him up, Lee. If he won't behave, I'll put him back to sleep and you can have Hinata-sama wake him up at the village."

Snape-san snarled at Neji, "No matter what you have planned, it won't work."

"Of course it'll work," Tenten replied, easily. "You're absolutely perfect - a loner with no close friends who tries to keep out of sight, generally. You go out of your way to avoid attention. You're exactly who we've been looking for." 

As soon as Lee pulled Snape-san back up to the tree branch everyone went back to surround Snape-san, it was a tight fit for them all. Sasuke didn't like it. He hated crowds. Hated the feeling of being trapped. Luckily, Sakura stood next to him and that gave him a bit of comfort.

Naruto, as soon as he could, easily snatched one of the little vials from Snape-san's robe and held it up to the sunlight. "Do all these little bottles make dust? That's kind of handy since you don't have any chakra." He shook the vial, curiously, and smiled at the little orange bubbles.

Snape-san's eyes shot wide open. He made a sort of choking sound, then surged away from Lee. Snape-san clearly wasn't trying to attack Naruto which was why Lee didn't stop him and why Sasuke didn't throw Snape-san out of the tree. Snape-san snatched the vial out of Naruto's hand, turned, and threw the vial as far from the tree as he could.

It exploded gloriously several yards away from them.

"Wow." Naruto stared at the charred branches and half-destroyed trees. "Just… wow."

Snape-san glared at him. "Are you entirely stupid or just insane? You do NOT agitate Ocean Tears!"

Naruto, used to more vicious insults, brushed the comment aside and asked, "Why do you keep stuff like that in your pockets?"

"Because I like a little excitement when idiots pick my pockets," Snape-san told him, sharply. "Maybe you've done me a favor, though. That explosion will attract attention. They'll come here, soon."

"Who?" Sasuke asked. He really wanted to know. "I've been watching you. Who are you close enough with that they'd search for you?"

Snape-san's shoulders drew together. His glare was fierce. He straightened his back and met Sasuke's eyes. He didn't answer.

Tenten, as direct as ever, spoke first, pushing forward until she stood in front of Snape-san. "Let's get to the heart of matters, shall we? We aren't going to hurt you. If we'd wanted to, you'd have been dead ages ago. We could have killed you without you even being aware that you were being killed. We didn't and we won't. All we're going to do is take you away for a couple of weeks. You can think of it as a vacation. If we do our jobs right, no one will even notice that you've gone missing."

"What jobs?" Snape-san asked.

"We're just going to look around your school a bit. That's all." Tenten looked closely at Snape-san. "Uchiha, your nose needs to be changed."

"Yes," Sasuke said. "I see what you mean. It's not a problem." He frowned and stepped closer to Snape-san, putting his hand out.

Snape-san flinched and stepped back.

Sasuke frowned and narrowed his eyes a little. "I need your nose. Hold still." He reached again, but again, Snape-san backed away and glowered.

"He needs to get a sense of your nose." Lee stood beside Snape-san and spoke softly. "He won't hurt you. All you have to do is stand still."

Snape-san shook his head, holding his book bag in front of him, as if that would protect him.

Gai-san laughed deeply, throwing his head back as he did. "Ah! I'm moved! Such loyalty! Such devotion to one's schoolmates! Obviously, you don't want to betray your schoolmates or your teachers. You'd rather fight us, though you understand you have no chance of winning, rather than let us have a chance of getting close where we might hurt someone. I'm touched."

The look Snape-san gave Gai-san was almost laughable. His lip curled up and he regarded Gai-san with disgust. Clearly, the idea of protecting his schoolmates was not a pleasant thought.

"You know," Kakashi-sensei said. "I think you're right, Gai. After all, who would want to leave such a place? They treat you so well, don't they?"

Snape-san glared and clenched his hands into fists.

"Now, now," Kakashi-sensei laughed. "Don't look so cross. We understand how reluctant you are to leave them. After all, they've always been so kind to you. When you need them they're always there for you."

Snape-san said, "Your pitiful attempt at a psychological trap will not work. Obviously, you know exactly how I'm treated; you've been watching me. That's hardly the point. I'm not going to let you just take me away."

Naruto scratched his head and frowned. "We aren't working for your uncle, if that’s still bothering you. We aren't going to hurt you or anyone in that school. Look, it's just a job. We're just going to look around. You might as well make the best of it."

"And he will." Neji was suddenly behind Snape-san and brushed his fingers against Snape-san's lower back. Instantly, Snape-san's legs collapsed under him. Again, he almost fell off the branch. "We haven't the time for this nonsense. You will be still and silent. We can do this just as easily with you asleep."  
Snape-san gaped at his legs. "What have you done? What have you done?!"

"I've put them to sleep," Neji answered easily.

Snape-san turned almost purple with rage. His hands grasped the strap of his book bag so tightly that his knuckles turned white. However, he didn't try to speak and when Sasuke approached him again, he didn't jerk his face away. Sasuke's fingers traced over Severus's crooked nose. "Stop moving. You're making this harder."

"Well?" Kakashi-sensei asked when Sasuke drew away from Snape-san.

"It's workable." Sasuke put his hands together. His fingers flashed a series of signs. There was a sudden puff of smoke around Sasuke and, when it cleared, Sasuke had a new nose.

Severus blinked, clearly stunned.

Sasuke touched his new nose with the tip of his fingers. "How does it look?"

"Perfect," Sakura told him. "That's detail number one. Number two is the voice."

Sasuke had never had need to disguise his voice, but he understood the necessity. Snape-san had a very distinctive voice. He squatted in front of Snape-san and put his hand over Snape-san's throat. "Speak."

"What?" Snape-san obviously didn't like having his throat touched anymore than he liked having his face touched. He didn't pull away, but Sasuke could feel that he was sweating and shaking just from the touch. If he could have, Sasuke was sure that Snape-san would have jumped out of the tree rather than have anyone's hands on him.

"Say something. Anything."

"I've got nothing to say."

It was enough that Sasuke had been able to feel how Snape-san's throat made sounds and he was able to copy it. Sasuke stepped away from Snape-san and manipulated his voice just a little before he spoke. "I've got nothing to say. How do I sound?"

"Just like he does," Naruto assured him. "Can you keep it up?"

It would take a lot of chakra and concentration, but Sasuke was sure that he could. The last detail was the hair. Though the color and length was the same, that was all that was the same. Hair oil from Gai-san would be enough to make the hair exactly right without forcing Sasuke to use more chakra.

Gai-san produced his bottle of hair oil and handed it gravely to Sasuke. "Precious youth, take great care of this - the secret to my luscious, silky hair." He dramatically struck a pose with one hand on his forehead and gave a toss of his hair. "To think that one so young, so full of life and potential, should be honored in being allowed to touch my oil!"

It sounded vaguely obscene.

Sasuke turned the bottle in his hand and looked at it, trying to figure out how to use it. His appearance had never been a great concern in his life so he’d never even thought about using hair products.

The problem was quickly resolved when Gai-san snatched the bottle back from Sasuke and laughed heartily. "Ah! The trials of youth! I fondly remember teaching Lee the secret techniques of hair care. Now, student of my esteemed rival, you, too, shall bask in my wisdom!"

Sasuke knelt down and allowed Gai-san to do his work. It was the last thing he wanted to do. It had been hard enough letting Kakashi-sensei touch him to paint the wards on his arms and Sasuke both liked and trusted Kakashi-sensei. He hardly knew Gai-san. But, Naruto and Sakura knelt right next to him and Kakashi-sensei stood in front of him so he was almost entirely surrounded by the people he trusted. He kept his eyes on Kakashi-sensei and was reassured to see that Kakashi-sensei kept his eyes on Gai-san. It was entirely for Sasuke’s peace of mind, of course. Kakashi-sensei trusted Gai-san without hesitation.

Gai-san poured oil onto his hands and rubbed it into Sasuke's hair, flattening it until oil ran down the sides of Sasuke's face and down the back of his neck and Naruto had to wipe it off with his shirt sleeve. Gai-san used his hands to pat Sasuke's hair down until it was hanging and stringy, just like Snape-san's.

"Now the robe," Sasuke said. "I'll need that."

Snape-san, naturally, fought for his robe, but it wasn't much of a fight. They were faster and stronger than he was. Sasuke then exchanged shoes with Snape-san as he was fairly certain no witches or wizards wore toe-less boots and it would be sure to make him stand out if he did wear them. Tenten told Sasuke, "Give him your cloak, Uchiha-san. Fair's fair. It's freezing; you can't expect him to go to the village like that."

Sasuke did as he was told and, before they knew it, Snape-san was dressed in Sasuke's cloak - though he didn't look happy about it - and Lee took hold of Snape-san's arm. "We have to leave now."

Snape-san looked back in the direction of the school. Whatever he was thinking, he kept to himself. After a long moment, he let out a defeated sigh. "You said I'll be gone during Christmas break?"

"Yes," Kakashi-sensei answered. "It's not all that long."

Snape-san gave it careful consideration. "Maybe there is a silver lining here, after all." He nodded briskly to Lee. "Fine. Let's go then. Going with you has got to be better than going with Uncle Marcus." But he shot them another glare. "If you hurt Mister Hagrid, I'll strip the flesh from your bones with a mixture of goat's milk, ear wax, and lilac leaves."

It was a creative threat, if nothing else.

Lee flashed Snape-san a bright smile, then gave his arm a jerk. He pulled Snape-san onto his back so that he was riding piggy-back.

"What do you think you're doing?" Snape-san demanded. He smacked Lee over the back of the head, but Lee didn't even acknowledge that he'd been hit. "Put me down! Make that one fix my legs and I can walk!"

"Oh, I don't think so." Lee hoisted Snape-san up until he could securely put his hands under Snape-san's legs to hold him steadily. "It'll be much faster if I carry you and this way, you won't be tempted to kick me and I can get us to the village much faster than if you were trying to keep up. I'm sure Hinata-sama will be pleased to fix your legs as soon as we get to the village."

"At least give me my bag!" Snape-san demanded.

Sasuke shook his head and pulled the book bag over his shoulder as he'd seen Snape-san wearing it. "I need your schoolbooks."

"Then keep them. I only need one. Give me my potions book. There's a double in there. I only need the one with the notes in the margins."

Sasuke couldn't think of a reason not to. So long as there was one book, it should be enough to get him through the mission. He handed the bag to Snape-san and let him rummage through it until he pulled out a tattered book and hugged it against his chest. "That's all I need."

Lee gave everyone a thumbs-up. "Good luck to you all. We'll see you back here at the end of the mission." After a wave good-bye, he and Snape-san were gone.  
"What are you waiting for?" Tenten prodded Sasuke's arm. "Sorry. Sorry." She held up her hands in defense when Sasuke rounded sharply on her. He hadn't meant to. "Didn't mean anything."

"No. It's all right." Sasuke adjusted Snape-san's cloak to hang just right. The tiny bottles, each in their own little pockets on the inside of the cloak, made no noise at all. He wore the cloak just as Snape-san had worn it and replaced his open-toed boots with the ankle boots Snape-san had been wearing. They were tight and had to be laced up. Sasuke stopped before putting on the left boot. "He was burned."

"What?" Naruto asked. He crouched down next to where Sasuke had sat to put on the boots.

"On his foot," Sasuke answered. "I watched his classmates burn his foot while he slept in the infirmary. He was limping, earlier. I need some fire." The disguise had to be perfect, after all.

Gai-san broke a smaller branch from the tree, but handed it to Kakashi-sensei instead of Sasuke. Of course Kakashi-sensei, the genius copy-cat, could breathe fire just like Sasuke could. It took only a small breath to set the stick a flame. "Take a deep breath and give me your foot."

Sasuke leaned backwards, balancing himself with his hands, and held up his foot for Kakashi-sensei. It didn't hurt as much as Sasuke had thought it might. He did clench his teeth together at the first touch. It was nothing. Pain was nothing.

  
Naruto leaned close enough that he pressed against Sasuke's arm and watched Kakashi-sensei carefully. Sakura slipped her hand over Sasuke's.

  
At last, Kakashi-sensei took the fire away from Sasuke's foot and looked at it. "It's done. You'll be able to operate with it?"

  
"Of course." He'd survived the chuunin exams and Orochimaru. He would survive a simple burn. "I'm ready."

  
It was well past dawn when Sasuke, trailed at a respectable distance by Tenten, left the Forbidden Forest. He stood on the edge of the forest for a moment and tightened his hand around the book bag's strap. He would have felt better with Sakura as his shadow or if the communicators had worked and he could talk with Naruto. As it was… he felt very alone.

Tenten was out of sight and she would stay there unless he needed help - which wouldn't happen. It was only a few weeks. One week of which was a vacation week for the students. They were mostly going home for Christmas - a cultural celebration. Something to do with presents, mistletoe, and eating. It would be useful for Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, Neji, and Gai-san who were all handling the physical area around Hogwarts. They would be able to slip inside more easily and find hidden security concerns. Sasuke's job would be made harder. How could he infiltrate students who weren't there?

Determined, Sasuke hunched his shoulders and lowered his head, slightly. He started towards the school.

  
To be continued…


	6. An Invitation

Chapter 6: An Invitation

Sasuke met no trouble walking from the Forbidden Forest to the school. No one spoke to him or even really looked at him. He made sure not to look too interested in what was going on around him, but kept a close eye on his feet while simultaneously being aware of his surroundings. How funny not to see his toes. His toes felt trapped.

The magic seemed to be everywhere. No matter where Sasuke looked there was someone using their power doing something silly. They made feathers float and practiced turning rocks into marbles. It was a waste of power, but, Sasuke thought, perhaps wizards had an unlimited supply of magic and they could afford to waste their power. It was possible. After all, Naruto had almost unlimited chakra and he was able to keep going where any other shinobi would have been exhausted and probably unconscious. If the wizards had similarly inexhaustible power, it would be wise to note. Granted, such information didn’t have much to do with the mission for if all wizards had such great power then they were all equally matched. However, no shinobi worth their salt would ignore such important information. 

Sasuke would need to do further research to understand how magic worked. 

It was as he was mulling the idea over that Sasuke realized there was someone walking towards him. He kept walking as if he didn’t see the boy from the corner of his eye.

"Snape, if you don't want the book, just say so. Don't walk away from me."

Sasuke recognized the voice from when he'd seen Snape-san in the school's infirmary. "Hello."

Lucius Malfoy smiled brightly as he strode briskly to Sasuke's side. He held out a heavy book. "Well? You're the one who wanted it."

Sasuke took the book and tucked it under his arm with a nod then started to walk away, again. Malfoy-san caught Sasuke's arm to stop him. "You're not walking away from me, are you? Are you sure you don't want me to do something about those Gryffindors? You can't just let this go on. I can take care of them a lot more effectively than you. Just a word to Potter's father and it won't happen again."

Sasuke stopped walking and looked at Malfoy-san from behind greasy, lank hair. "No," Sasuke told him. The voice was perfect, he was sure, but this would be the real test. From what Sasuke had seen, Malfoy-san was closest to Snape-san out of all the students. "I can handle them myself."

"You always have to take the hardest road, don't you? What are you doing up and about, anyway? I should think you would have been told to rest after your injuries."

Sasuke didn't say anything for a moment. He really wasn’t sure what to say about that. He dipped his head a little lower, but eventually looked up. "What do you want?"

"Can't I inquire about a friend without a reason? I've noticed you limping and you weren't the last time I saw you. It was just your head that had been split open, the last I knew. What did those four do?"

"Let me deal with them on my own."

"If that's what you want." Malfoy-san shrugged carelessly. "Just remember that you can call on me if you need something. I'm always good for a favor." Malfoy-san smiled broadly and Sasuke could understand why this boy would be a leader in the school. He was charismatic – charm almost dripped off him. However, from what Sasuke had seen over the past week, there was more to Malfoy-san than charisma. He had the potential to be dangerous. "Come with me."

"I have a class."

Malfoy-san shook his head and kept his hand firmly on Sasuke's arm. "It's only charms. You could easily pass if you missed the next seven classes. Come on." When Sasuke didn't immediately follow when pulled, Malfoy-san looked at him curiously with a dangerous glint in his eye. "Are you going to ignore me, Snape? Severus?"

It occurred to Sasuke that maybe he'd missed a few things during his observations. He had, of course, noted that Snape-san tended to spend a good deal of time with Malfoy-san, but he'd thought little of it. Maybe he should have thought more. Even though Snape-san didn't appear to enjoy Malfoy-san's company, Malfoy-san would wait for Snape-san outside classrooms and deliberately sit next to him at every meal Sasuke had seen Snape-san take in the Great Hall. He seemed to go out of his way to spend time with Snape-san.  
"Would I dare?"

Malfoy-san smiled. "You make me sound like a monster. I just need a word in private."

Private, it turned out, was the Slytherin House deep in the dungeons. Sasuke let Malfoy-san lead him through the halls and down into the dungeons. They went down many stairs until they came to a hallway filled with tapestries, all of them nearly large enough to hang from ceiling to floor. Each one was different. Some were of landscapes, some were portraits of people, and some were abstract works. Near the middle of the hall was a painting of writhing, twisting snakes. Malfoy-san led Sasuke passed the painting.

The entrance into the Slytherin House was a portrait; a woman with her arms around a child. The woman smiled at the child and patted his hair, lovingly. She smiled at Malfoy-san and then at Sasuke. "Good morning, boys." She smirked knowingly.

It made Sasuke nervous. Surely, she hadn't seen him when he'd snuck in while following Snape-san. He'd been very quick and very fast. After he'd found out that the many paintings around the school were able to talk and move, he'd had to be extra careful not to get himself caught. They could easily report him to an authority.

"Baroness." Malfoy-san gave a nodded greeting with a disdainful tone. He didn't seem to catch the look the Baroness was giving Sasuke. "The password is Rayngar."

"Correct, Mister Malfoy. Kindly enter." The woman waved her hand a little and the tapestry opened. A wide split formed down the middle through which Malfoy-san stepped.  
It was an ingenious protection for Slytherin House. The entrance was not a door or even a hidden door in the wall. Instead, it was the portrait itself and that meant that if the portrait were rolled up and hung elsewhere, the Slytherin House could be opened from anywhere. Plus, all the other tapestries were like camouflage to disguise the true entrance.  
The Slytherin common room was impressive and Sasuke looked around, approvingly. The room was cool, but not cold, with rich carpets on the stone floor. It was a large, open room with a fireplace at one end and several plush sofas spread around the room. There were heavy tables with clawed feet and elegant paintings on the walls. There were no windows, no light at all except for candles that burned so brightly that they filled the room with light. On either side of the fireplace were two doors.

On a sofa in front of the fire two girls were lounging, almost laying down with their feet curled up next to them. A dark haired girl with shining eyes smiled and winked her nose at Malfoy-san. "And what might you be up to?"

"Nothing to worry you, Black," Malfoy-san answered easily.

She raised her chin, haughtily. "You're doing something with Snape and you don't think I should worry? Come on. What's the plot? Maybe I can help."

"No plots this time." Malfoy-san paused only to take hold of Sasuke's arm, again, and pull him. "We're just going up to have a word. About what I spoke to you about last night."

Understanding dawned in the girl's eyes. She frowned a little and looked Sasuke up and down. "But… Snape?"

Malfoy-san made a show of wrapping a seemingly affable arm around Sasuke's shoulders. It was all Sasuke could do not to cringe. "He's a friend of mine, Black. You're not going to insult him, are you?"

"No. Of course not," Black acquiesced quickly. "If you think it's wise..."

"And why wouldn't it be?" The other girl on the sofa spoke softly, but she had a cold look on her face. "Snape's as good as they get. If you haven't seen that then your eyes aren't open, Bella. Go on, Lucius. I'm sure Snape's smart enough to understand."

Malfoy-san gave the second girl an elegant bow that made her blush before walking Sasuke to the dormitory of the Slytherin boys. It was the first time Sasuke had been there openly. They were opulent rooms with velvet curtains for privacy around each bed. Malfoy-san took his arm off Sasuke's shoulders as soon as they were out of sight of the girls and wiped off his sleeve with his hand.

"I sometimes think you deliberately put stuff in your hair to make it look like that. Take a seat. I received a letter from my mother at breakfast. Of course, you weren't there." Malfoy-san yanked open the curtains of his bed and sat on it. He pulled a small scroll from under the pillow and unrolled it, smirking at Sasuke. "You did very well, holding your tongue out there, I mean. Usually Black gets you into a temper without even trying. You didn't say one word to her. I'm very proud of you."

Sasuke didn't know what he should say to that, so he kept silent and nodded.

"Were you with Hagrid at breakfast?" Malfoy-san's tone had changed slightly. It sounded sharper.

"Yes."

"You must stop seeing him." Malfoy-san frowned disapprovingly. "He's beneath you. Despite everything you're better than Hagrid. People still talk about you snubbing your classmates and professors to dine with that… that person. You must care more about your reputation."

"I don't like them." Sasuke knew it was something Snape-san would say. He seemed to be a blunt, honest sort of boy. "I'd rather eat with slugs than in the Great Hall. I do go there for lunch and dinner."

"True. Now, listen to this." He unrolled the scroll and read from it. "'Lucius, hope you're doing well in your studies… bla, bla, bla'… ah! This is the important bit. 'You're to bring that boy with you when you return home for the holidays. Our guests, whom I've told you much about, are eager to meet someone that you think so highly of. If the situation requires it, advise me and I will smooth the details. Kindest regards, Joliet Malfoy.'" Malfoy tossed the scroll onto the bed beside him. "She writes as if it were a business letter. Anyway, you heard it."

Sasuke silently nodded.

Malfoy-san rolled his eyes. "For a genius, you sure are thick. You are invited to Malfoy Manor for the Christmas holiday. Feel free to thank me now."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Malfoy-san slapped his hands together. "Now, we’ll need to do something about your clothes and your shoes. There’s also the state of your hair to consider. You are not being presented to my mother looking like that."

"Thank you, but I must refuse."

Malfoy-san's reaction was interesting. His smile vanished and he crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back a little. His eyes narrowed, thoughtfully. "What game is this?"

"No game."

"You can't refuse me." Malfoy-san seemed astounded by the very idea of it. "Are you trying to joke? You aren't very good at it. You leave that to me, won't you? Now, as I said, you'll have to get your hair trimmed. Mother doesn't mind long hair so long as it’s kept tidy and yours would not pass muster."

He went on and on while Sasuke thought. He couldn't leave, no matter what guests Malfoy-san's mother wanted Snape-san to meet. No matter if it was expected that he would go or not. He couldn't leave Hogwarts.

"You should feel honored. Any of the seventh years would give their front teeth to meet the people you're going to meet."

"Who am I going to meet?"

"The future! You remember. I was telling you about them yesterday. People of such power and influence that you’d be a fool not to meet them." Malfoy-san's eyes shone disturbingly brightly. "You're just not valued here, Snape. Not one of the professors can see how much you're worth. Now!" He held up a hand. "Don't mention Slughorn. He's a fool, he doesn't count. If you even think to mention Hagrid, I'll hex you myself." He looked confidant, as confidant as Naruto when he would say that he would be the next hokage. "You just wait - you'll go far and I'm the one who will get you there. You’re going to be powerful and respected when you leave Hogwarts – I’ll make sure of it."

From the brief glimpse Sasuke had seen of Snape-san's life, it must have been a temptation too great to turn down.

"You'll be the envy of all Slytherins when they find out you’ve met them, one of them in particular. I’m sure I don't have to remind you not to tell any of the professors what’s going on. Monday morning we'll be leaving and I'll return you Tuesday night. You'll have plenty of time to get your studying done or whatever it is you do when you're alone during the holidays. Go and get to your class."

Sasuke turned to leave, but as he did, Malfoy-san's voice stopped him.

"Snape, whatever's wrong with your foot - get it fixed. Honestly, limping around like a lame horse is pathetic. You do have a Slytherin image to uphold - mine. Since I allow you to hang around me, you reflect on me. I won't have you making me look bad. Get your foot fixed."

Sasuke looked over his shoulder at Malfoy-san who was laying on his bed, rereading the letter from his mother. He didn't look up as Sasuke left.

Sasuke left Malfoy-san still lounging on his bed, but unsure about what the whole conversation had meant. There was some significance in what had happened, but it was entirely possible that the whole thing was nothing more than Malfoy-san trying to take care of his friend. The references to powerful, important people whom many of the students would be eager to meet, but warnings not to tell any of the professors, alerted Sasuke and roused his curiosity. Still, he wouldn’t go. The mission centered on the school and nothing else mattered.

When he walked into the Slytherin common room, Sasuke was ignored by the two girls. It was as if they didn't see him. Perhaps they'd only noticed him before because of Malfoy-san. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter. He left Slytherin House without incident and had time while walking in the deserted halls to consider what he’d already learned.  
Sasuke had found the first major security flaw. Snape-san had fought with his schoolmates and no one had been disciplined. It was easy to see that student fighting was ignored and was a great threat.

Not to say that fighting was prohibited at the Academy in Konohagakure, in fact it was encouraged, but there was always proper supervision. Fighting was a major portion of the course work so, of course, the sensei's encouraged good fights, but fighting for personal reasons was frowned upon. If Iruka-sensei found out that his students were brawling because of some foolish argument, they'd be lucky if he didn't cane them.

Worse, the fighting of Hogwarts’ students was done with magic. This wasn't just taijutsu fighting with a few punches or kicks. Wizards, even as students, were capable of great power. Their fighting could easily lead to accidents that could kill someone. An attacker could kill someone and disguise it as a student fight, thus concealing their presence.

Sasuke hadn’t gone more than a dozen steps from Slytherin House before the school's healer, Madam Ratian, found him. She was a strong looking woman with a square face and serious, angry eyes. For a moment, she just stood in front of him and tapped her foot on the stone floor. "Well? Where do you think you're going, young man?"

"Class. This IS a school. I thought I might try to learn something." It was fun, Sasuke realized, to say exactly what he was thinking without worrying about what people would think or how his words might reflect on his family. Such blunt words were exactly in character for Snape-san, too. "Why? Did you think I should go swimming? It's a little too cold for me, but thank you anyway."

"I'll have none of your flip answers!" She took another step towards him and crossed her arms over her chest. She was tall and narrow with a stiff black gown and a white apron. "You were told to stay in the hospital wing. Bad enough that you decided to take that useless jaunt to the Ministry, but then I have Hagrid telling me that you're limping around with a burned foot. If you'd just stay where I put you this sort of thing wouldn't happen."

"It was while I was under your care that I was given this burn. You don't keep a very close eye on your patients, do you?"

"You and your mouth! You'll never change." She flushed and seemed outraged. "Why didn't you say something about the burn?"

Sasuke found it curious that she didn't ask who had done it. "Because it's not your affair." He wondered if Snape-san planned to get revenge and whether or not Sasuke would have to deal with that during his mission. Maybe he could let it ride out for two weeks and let the real Snape-san take care of it when he returned. "Was there anything else?"

Her eyes blazed. "Young man, you will get yourself to the hospital wing, now, and have that foot looked at. It was against my better judgment to let you go out to the Ministry in the first place. I only let you go because the headmaster said I should. What are you waiting for? Come along!"

Sasuke didn't move. "I have to get to class."

"You have to get your foot seen to!"

Without hesitation, Sasuke kicked off his boot and held up his foot for examination.

Madam Ratian rolled her eyes. "Oh, honestly…" But she took out a wand and aimed it at Sasuke's foot. He had to steel himself when she did. It was a weapon as surely as if it had been Tenten with her needles or Lee's fist.

"You didn't use the salve I sent with Hagrid, did you?"

"I've been busy."

She snorted. "I’m sure you have been. Well, this won’t work as well as the salve, but at least you’ll be able to get around relatively pain free during your classes.” She took aim with her wand pointed at the soul of his foot and shot a spell at it. There was a mild tingling sensation and then the pain was gone. “Now,” she put her fists on her hips. “Stop getting yourself into such trouble. I see you more than any other student. At least three times a week you're taking up one of my beds."

"I apologize for using up your bed space. I'll try to limit how often I'm attacked. If you prefer, I'll just find a quiet corner to bleed in. Now, if you don't mind, the injury is hardly life threatening." Sasuke looked up at her without really raising his face. "Your efforts…"

"Are no longer needed? Don't you give me that! I'll have you know that Hagrid burst into my office demanding to know why I'd let you wander about if you weren't completely healed. I don't need to be lectured by that creature about how to do my job! Honestly, you're going to get yourself killed one of these days."

Quite probably. "If I'm a lost cause, then I suggest you put your efforts into someone else. I don't need your help. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Sasuke stepped around her and continued on his way. "I certainly don't need an overbearing nag chasing after me." Yes, that was definitely something Snape-san would say.

The first class of the day was charms, a class that required a wand and magic. The stress of keeping up his disguised nose and voice was using up a lot of chakra. The idea of having to use more chakra to imitate magic worried Sasuke. He knew it would be draining and, therefore, make his work harder. However, there was a simple solution that should allow Sasuke to skip holding up an illusion of himself doing magic. With luck, he would be able to use the excuse for a day or so.

To be continued…


	7. The Smell of Ink

Chapter 7: The Smell of Ink

Remus Lupin-

Remus Lupin sat in charms class, his head resting on his folded arms as he waited for class to begin. While charms was one of Remus' favorite classes, he could barely concentrate so close to the full moon. Students filed in here and there and the professor already sat at his desk, ready to begin. He felt dreadful. His head ached fiercely. His skin itched so badly that he wanted to scratch and can only stop himself because if he did scratch it would draw attention to him. His senses were heightened; most of all his sense of smell was incredibly hypersensitive. That was how he smelled the ink.

Hogwarts was full of ink. Every student and professor used an inkwell to write with. It would have seemed strange if there hadn't been any smell of ink in the school. However, this was like a flood of scent. It drew closer. Remus sniffed and turned towards the direction the smell came from – the door. Remus stared at the door. Even with his friends sitting behind him, messing around, he stared at the door. Ink mixed with another, unfamiliar, scent came closer.

When the door opened, Remus was surprised to see Snape, looking at sour as ever and reeking of ink. They'd all presumed that he was still in the hospital wing from the previous night, but he looked healthy enough, except for a limp. Remus was confused. The person standing in the doorway looked like Snape, but the person didn't smell a bit like him. Another sniff confirmed it. Snape’s scent had entirely changed.

James said, loudly, "Look who decided to show."

Professor Halford, the charms professor, looked less amused than James and it was no wonder. Snape was the one person who was never late to class. He was normally there ahead of everyone else, reading through his text book when everyone else was strolling in. To see him standing in the doorway after class had begun was unbelievable.

Snape glared at them through his normal curtain of stringy hair with a particularly nasty sneer. His eyes slowly traveled around the room, pausing only a moment when they fell on each of the Marauders. "Well… a warm welcome. I'm flattered."

"What's wrong?" Sirius called out from just behind Remus. "Forgot where class is?"

Snape's hand clenched at his side and his eyes narrowed. "No." Snape inhaled deeply through his oversized nose. He smirked as he let out the breath. "I had to work myself up to being in the same room as you. The smell… well, it gets to me."

Sirius growled and began shouting insults, but was told to be silent by Professor Halford who tapped his fingers irritably on the work table. "Mister Snape, where have you been?"

"Detained," Snape answered, sharply.

"And why might that be?"

Snape raised his chin a little and managed to look as if he were looking down at Professor Halford even though he was shorter. "Because apparently someone thought stealing my wand would be amusing and I still can’t find it." He shot a murderous glare at Sirius, then shifted it to James. "I couldn't say for certain who, but…"

"Hey!" James slapped his palms onto the table and he jumped to his feet. "We didn't take anything!"

Snape cocked his head to the side. "I never accused you. Guilty conscious?"

James looked ready to spit. "You lying…"

"Enough!" Professor Halford shouted. "Mister Snape, take your seat. Pay as close attention as you can, you'll still be expected to know this even if you have conveniently lost your wand. Mister Potter, no more outbursts. We won't have accusations flying. You two can take it up with your heads of house."

James huffed and loudly fell back into his seat and Sirius started to whisper in his ear. Snape slunk by, going to his customary seat in the back row - well away from where James and Sirius sat - and fell silent. The lesson went normally after that though it did seem odd not to have Snape perfectly performing every exercise Professor Halford set them to. He simply watched everyone or kept his eyes on his text book.

"It's creepy." Remus heard James whisper to Sirius. Sometimes they forgot that Remus could hear so well due to his condition. "He's just… staring. You didn't take his wand, did you?"

"How could I? You know he keeps it in that bag and he guards that like it's a treasure. I'll bet he hasn't lost it at all. He's just being lazy. Who would want it?"

"Someone who wanted to cause trouble. That's why I thought you'd taken it."

While they whispered, Remus had been puzzling. He was fairly smart, he knew, and most things he could find a sensible explanation for. Why Snape should smell like a gallon of ink escaped him, however. The scent of ink was almost overpowering. Even stranger was that it wasn't the same ink that Hogwarts supplied to its students. Perhaps Snape had gotten it as a gift or he'd bought it at the last Hogsmead weekend. It smelled like Snape had been bathing in it. 

While that was a possible explanation, it didn’t explain the other mystery.

Remus took another sniff of the air and frowned. Beneath the smell of ink there was something else. The base smell, the scent that belonged to Snape alone, was different. No one could change their base scent. At least, it was very hard to do. Even with potions - which Snape admittedly excelled at - it was almost impossible to change a person's base scent. More to the point, no one really bothered with the potion. It took weeks to brew and who would they want to hide their scent from? A nosy werewolf boy? There just wasn't a reason to waste all that time and effort. Snape didn't even know Remus was a werewolf.

The rest of the class went peacefully, but after it was over James and Sirius showed that they hadn't forgotten Snape's insinuated accusation. Professor Halford escaped into his office by a small door in the corner of the room as soon as he ended his lecture. Snape hurried to leave class, as was normal for him, but as he moved closer to the door he was hit by a spell.

Sirius hit Snape with the spell. It struck Snape square in the back and sent him off his feet, hurdling through the air until he struck a wall. He hit with a terrible thud and slid limply to the floor where he landed in a heap, his body draped over his book bag. He didn't get up. Remus feared that his friends had gone too far. There was blood running from Snape's mouth and a terrible bruise already forming on the side of his face.

No one spoke, they all watched in horrified fascination until Snape moaned and his eyes crept open. One-by-one, every student left the room without a glance at Snape until only Snape and the Marauders were left.

Sirius grinned. "Don't accuse us of stealing, again." He and James left the room with Peter trailing eagerly behind James. "Come on, Moony."

"You go on," Remus told him. "I'll catch up."

The classroom emptied quickly until it was just Remus, staring at Snape, and Snape, still bleeding. He should help. It was the right thing to do. Even if Snape was stupid enough to goad James on when he must have realized what would happen. It had been three years. Snape HAD to know what would happen when he irritated those two. It was his own fault that he'd been hurt.

‘I couldn't have stopped them, anyway. It happened so quickly. They'd have just hunted him down later. Better that it happen now and not in some dark hall late at night.’ Even as he tried to convince himself, Remus felt like being sick. ‘He wouldn't want pity even if I offered it. He wouldn't want help. He's never asked for it.’ But Remus couldn't shake the guilt. ‘I wonder if anyone's ever offered to help.’

He realized, very suddenly, that Snape was watching him. Remus felt frozen, half-expecting Snape to throw a curse at him, wand or no. He wouldn't have been surprised if Snape surged to his feet and started spitting swears.

Instead, Snape didn't move at all. "Are you planning to just stare?"

There was acid in that tone. It was that voice that made everyone want to strangle him or, at least, knock him down a little. He was so proud of himself. So sure that he was right about everything. His confidence would have been annoying in a professor. In a boy their own age, it was unforgivable.

Remus wished he had some of that confidence. "No. I'm planning to go to runes." Remus finished collecting his books and papers and shoved them into his bag. "You should go to the hospital wing."

"Why?"

The question took Remus off guard. "You're bleeding."

"So? Why are you pretending concern?"

Remus stiffened. "I'm not pretending anything. Look at you! You could have serious injuries."

Snape looked like he would laugh and Remus flushed, shamed without Snape having to say anything. It wasn't the first time Snape had gotten serious injuries as a result of the Marauders. It likely wouldn't be the last time. Remus had never done anything to stop his friends. He had stood in the background and watched and when it was over, Remus had followed James and Sirius away. The same way he always had.

‘I have to. They're my friends. If they were angry with me… Sirius is hot-tempered. He might tell in a fit of anger. He might let it slip that I'm a werewolf.’ Remus had faith that Sirius wouldn't do it on purpose, but Sirius was thoughtless. He did so many things without thinking. ‘I can't lose them. If I did, I'd really be alone and I don't think I could handle it.’ He stared at Snape's dark eyes. ‘I couldn't stand to be as alone as he is.’

Snape pushed himself up until he was sitting. "I suppose your conscience is bothering you. Funny. I didn't think a lowly creature such as myself deserved a Gryffindor's compassion." He paused and looked thoughtful. "Tell me, what did I do to earn your friend's attention?"

Remus frowned. "You're Slytherin."

Snape got to his feet and wiped the blood away from his mouth with the sleeve of his robe. "What do you think I'm going to do? Destroy the school because I'm Slytherin?"

"Who knows? Slytherins will do anything to get what they want." Everyone knew one couldn't trust Slytherins. They were sly and underhanded. Everyone knew it.

Snape said nothing, but turned and left the room.

After he'd gone Remus sniffed the air, again. Ink.

Sasuke-

Interesting to note that the students apparently judged each other on the House they belonged to. Sasuke wondered if it was a general belief or just the opinion of Lupin-san that Slytherins were heartless. It could, of course, be the truth - however unlikely that seemed. If all Slytherins were untrustworthy, then they would be a large security risk to the school and should be noted.

‘Malfoy-san said others would be jealous when I meet these people he wants me to meet. He obviously doesn't want school authorities to know what he is planning. I'll have to find out what he's planning. It can't be just Slytherins who are untrustworthy. Gryffindors attack Snape regularly, from what I've heard. I'll have to find out about the other two Houses as well as the professors.’

So far, he didn't think much about the charms professor. Sasuke knew he'd hit the wall hard. He'd only been able to keep all those little bottles in the pockets of Snape-san's robes from breaking by catching himself with putting up his hands to cushion the blow when he struck the wall. Even if the charms professor hadn't heard Sasuke hit the wall - and Sasuke was sure he must have - he should have been more alert to danger, more aware of what his students were doing, if the school's headmaster was afraid of an impending attack.

Sasuke's next class, herbology, was out at the greenhouses. It was snowing again when Sasuke left the school. Sasuke was thankful for the cold. It seeped into the tight boots he wore and numbed the burn on the bottom of his foot.

He had to dig in Snape-san's book bag for gloves and a scarf and was, once again, amazed by it. He would have to get a bag like Snape-san's. It was impossibly big on the inside and seemed to hold everything Snape-san owned. There were books, scrolls, inkwells, quills, clothes and many, many small bottles like the ones Sasuke currently carried in the cloak.

By the time he arrived at the greenhouse the rest of the students were crowded around a long center table where many potted plants were waiting for them. It was a class that the Slytherins had with Ravenclaws. It was also the class that had Sasuke wondering what Snape-san had done to make himself universally loathed. Gryffindors glaring at him, he understood. Snape-san had clearly made enemies with the leaders of that House. Slytherins scowling at him, Sasuke could understand. Snape-san didn't fit in with them with the exception of Malfoy-san's dubious attentions. But Ravenclaws? What had Snape-san done to earn those foul glowers?

As soon as he entered the greenhouse, Sasuke found out. One of the Ravenclaws, a sharp featured girl, strode up to him and poked a finger at his chest. "You've got one chance. Admit it."

Sasuke had no clue what she was talking about. "Why should I?"

The girl's lips pressed together. "Don't think you're so clever. We all know you cheated on the herbology exam. You're an idiot with plants. The whole school knows it. You cheated, somehow. It's the only way you could get such a high mark."

"Well," Sasuke drawled. "Either that, or I studied."

It seemed that Slytherins stood up for each other in public. Snape found that he was suddenly surrounded by other Slytherins, all of them glaring at the girl and the other, angry, Ravenclaws. No one said a thing, but the Ravenclaw girl moved away to a group of her housemates and began whispering together. Occasionally, they would look at Sasuke, then whisper again.

‘Blatant plotting. Iruka-sensei would have failed them.’

The class had barely begun before Sasuke was aware that the girl who'd spoken to him was watching him. He went about his work trimming some plant called a Fireweed. It was a beautiful flower, Sasuke thought. Long green leaves trimmed in red with orange blossoms here and there. The plants gave off heat, a comfort in the cold weather, but the herbology professor warned them that the plants were also flammable. To keep them from spontaneously bursting into flame, they had to be kept trimmed.

"Be careful with your work," Professor Shell told everyone before they'd begun trimming. "Fireweed needs to be treated gently. Even when trimmed, they aren't quite stable."

All through the class, Sasuke knew he was being watched. While students walked around the greenhouse getting this or that, the Ravenclaw girl who'd confronted Sasuke kept a close eye on him.

After nearly an hour, someone passing by grabbed Sasuke's arm. When he turned to them something splashed onto his face.

It was cold as ice, then burned. He could feel it seeping into his eyes like liquid fire.

"What is it? Mister Snape, what's wrong?"

Sasuke could hear Professor Shell's voice, but covered his face with his gloved hands. He clenched his teeth to stop from yelling, but it hurt. The pain was incredible.

"Mister Snape, look at me."

All of a sudden, the pain increased. It was like having razor blades cutting at his eyes. Sasuke let out a groan, but managed to control himself. Hunched over he slid his arms over his face to hide his eyes. When he opened his eyes to look at the ground, Sasuke saw nothing but white. A thick white fog covered his vision like paint. 'Blind. I'm blind.' Cold fear spread over him. Without his eyes Sasuke knew he was worthless. He couldn't do missions without his sight. What if the stuff had destroyed more than his ordinary vision? What if it had ruined the precious Sharigan? ‘They've taken my eyes.’

Hands took hold of his shoulders and shook him. "Mister Snape, stop it this minute! Look at me!"

Sasuke shook off the professor and staggered away, only to bump into the table. "Leave me alone! Don't touch me!" But the hands grabbed at him again and Sasuke struggled not to hurt the professor. ‘They'll see. The Sharigan might be visible. I can't tell! If they see the Sharigan they'll know I'm not Snape-san. The mission will be failed. My last chance… gone…’

"Someone call madam Ratian." Professor Shell sounded irritated more than anything. "Mister Snape, if you'd only let me look we could see what damage is done. Mister Louis, what were you doing with Vulcan Tears, anyway? I was saving that for Professor Slughorn."

"Sorry, sir. I thought it was just a jar of water for the Fireweed. It was an accident. Kelp tripped me."

"I did not!"

Sasuke ignored the argument and slid his hands protectively over his eyes. If only he knew whether or not the Sharigan was visible! He had to get away. He had to stop the pain!

There were whispers and laughs in the background. They were laughing at him. Everyone was laughing. Everyone was laughing.

Sasuke twisted away from Professor Shell and ran. He ran into the table, then into people, and finally was stumbled by the cold, glass wall of the greenhouse.

"Not so high and mighty now!"

"Look at him! That'll teach him not to cheat."

"Looks like he's drunk!"

And they laughed. It was almost deafening.

The pain lanced deep into his brain, it made Sasuke dizzy and unsteady. Sasuke kept one hand covering his eyes, protecting them from further harm, and reached one hand out. Cool glass under his fingertips. Sasuke made a fist and smashed the glass. It fell like rain, a sharp sound as it fell to the ground.

The laughter turned to yelling but Sasuke didn't listen. He kicked and broke more glass before something - a spell - took hold of him. The spell was shouted out and Sasuke found himself paralyzed with one hand over his eyes and one leg raised, poised to kick again at the glass wall.

"Causing trouble again, Mister Snape?" Madam Ratian asked, sharply. He heard her shoes tapping on the floor, getting closer and closer to him. "I told you to keep out of trouble. And causing all this mess! What were you thinking? Now, just hold still and stop this senseless panicking. I'll have you sorted out in no time." There was another spell and Sasuke could move, but Madam Ratian's voice sounded as if she were right in front of him.

He wiggled and squirmed away from her hands trying to pry his hand away from his eyes.

There was a crash and sudden heat seemed to explode from behind him.

"The Fireweed!" Professor Shell shouted. "Fire! Everyone out!" The hands at Sasuke's arm were gone. He heard people running and screams of fear.

It gave Sasuke the time he needed to burst through the glass wall. He felt the glass slice his cheeks and arms, but it was a pale pain compared to the blades that seemed to be jabbing into his eyes.

Sasuke ran. He ran clumsily, slipping on the snow and falling, but he ran as far from the noise of the fire and the screaming students as he could get.

There was silence from one direction and a cold wind from the other. 'Likely,' Sasuke thought, 'the wind is blowing over the lake.' The forest would be a shield against the wind.  
So he ran towards the direction the wind was not coming from, hoping that he would find the forest. When Sasuke fell for the second time; it sent a shock of pain through the side of his head where he'd been earlier slammed against the wall of the charms classroom. He couldn't stand the pain in his eyes any longer and paused long enough to take handfuls of snow and press them against his eyes. The pain dulled, but didn't vanish. Again, Sasuke put snow to his eyes and, again, the pain lessened.

The shouts of the students and the angry crackling of fire were far behind, but Sasuke got to his feet and started running, again. He ran until he ran into waiting arms that wrapped around him and held him still when he tensed to fight.

"Stop it!" Tenten snapped. "Don't fight me. You're safe. We're in the forest, now. What happened?"

"Someone put a liquid in my eyes. I can't see anything." He finally took his hands away from his face and Tenten gasped. "What is it?"

"Your eyes. They're white." Tenten pulled his arm. "Let's get you back to base. Gai-sensei will know what to do."

"No!" Sasuke pulled his arm sharply away, but stumbled over the stump of a tree and landed on his knees. "I want Kakashi-sensei!"

"Don't be stubborn," Tenten scolded. "Those people will come looking for you soon. They'll think an injured student is lost in this forest and you left footprints bold enough for even one of them to follow. We have to go, now."

"I know." Sasuke pushed himself to his feet. "I can do this alone."

"Let me do my job, Uchiha," Tenten told him, flatly. She took his arm again and pulled. "I won't hurt you, you know. Who do you think started that fire? A thrown kunai was enough to knock over one of those flammable plants. Now, let's go."

To be continued…


	8. Something's Not Right

Chapter 8: 'Something’s Not Right'

Rubues Hagrid-

Rubeus stared out of his window, but wasn't really looking at anything. In one hand he still held the ointment Madam Ratian had given him for Severus' foot. The boy hadn't even stopped for breakfast. Funny, that. He always stayed for breakfast. Maybe the foot was hurting more than he'd let on. Maybe Rubeus should have made him stay longer, forced him to have the ointment on his burned foot.

‘About as much chance of that as there is of teaching a cat to juggle.’ Rubeus almost laughed at the thought. Severus wasn't one for obeying orders, no matter who gave them. A more independent, strong-minded boy Rubeus had never met in his life.

Absently, Rubeus tucked the jar of ointment into a pocket and stood, thinking that he ought to track Severus down and try to talk to him to convince him to accept the medication for his foot. Rubeus went to his window and looked out at his home. Hogwarts had been his home for so long that he'd long ago stopped thinking of ever leaving. He loved Hogwarts. He loved the castle, as ancient as memory itself. He loved the land, nearly unspoiled and rich with life around the castle. He loved the animals; each owl, cat, frog, snake, unicorn, thestral, and all the uncountable others. He loved the clear blue sky and he loved the raging storms. Most of all, Rubeus loved the land. The professors came and went as easily as the seasons turned. The students, though often a joy, left more quickly than the professors. The land…. the land stayed. The animals stayed. And, always, Rubeus stayed.

Rubeus knew that many of the animals he saw in the Forbidden Forest were the descendants of animals he'd tended. The sons and daughters of wounded or sick critters he'd found in years passed and nursed to health. It made him feel important. It made him feel needed. So he loved Hogwarts for the opportunity it gave him to feel needed.

‘And now I'm needed for Christmas Trees.’ It was really no wonder that when the Christmas holiday approached it was Rubeus who was asked to venture into the Forbidden Forest to find a few evergreens to decorate for the students. ‘Maybe I'll find Severus and bring him with me. Get him away from stuffy classrooms for a bit. Fresh air would do him some good.’

That thought cheered Rubeus enough to get him away from the window and start dressing for his trek.

‘I’ll take him to see that waterfall near the clearing. He'll like that. It will be all frozen over, by now.’ It would be beautiful, the frozen water caught in mid-fall. Better if it was a sunny day - the sun would sparkle on the ice. Rubeus decided then that he would wait to take Severus out for a sunny day. He would collect only half the trees the headmaster had asked for, then collect the other half the next day with Severus. He hoped Severus would like it. That the little frozen waterfall would make Severus smile just a little.

The boy needed it.

Severus used to smile at pretty things when he was a little first year. True that the first year had been hard on him, but nothing like the following two years had been. Rubeus remembered watching little Severus stare at clouds creeping across the night sky and pass over the moon when he was supposed to be asleep in bed. He'd seen Severus out more than once watching fireflies blinking in and out of the darkness like tiny stars fallen to Earth. Young Severus ventured closer to the Forbidden Forest than any of the other students and stared into the darkness and the shadows, transfixed.

"What are you looking at?" Rubeus had once asked.

Severus had smiled and pointed into the forest. The shadows moved under the moonlight as a strong breeze made the trees sway to and fro. The shadows cast by those trees seemed to dance. "It's beautiful."

It had been almost two years since Severus had been caught watching the clouds. Two years since he'd been orphaned. Two years since the lad's life had fallen down around him. Rubeus wouldn't pretend to know what was for the best, legally, but he did know what was best for Severus and he couldn't understand why no one else saw it. He couldn't understand why a man as good and kind as Headmaster Dumbledore hadn’t fought it when Severus had been given into the care of a man like his uncle, Mister Prince.

Severus had to be kept away from that ruddy uncle of his.

Flashback-

Rubeus had found the boy one morning early in the summer. It hadn't been more than two weeks since the students had been taken home for the summer by the Hogwart's Express. Funny to have the place so quiet, but Rubeus could appreciate it. He made his daily rounds about the school, checking to make sure the House Elves had remembered to lock all the doors and to see that no students had left any nasty surprises around.

He hadn't expected to see the skinny, sallow-skinned boy sleeping under a rather overgrown azalea next to the front step. All he saw was the foot, at first. A black shoed foot, with laces untied, peeked out from under the dark green leaves. When he got closer to the foot, he saw it shift, go still, then slowly draw up under the azalea and Rubeus knew he'd been spotted.

"Now, don't you worry. It's just me." Rubeus used the gentlest voice he could. "Why don't you come out and we'll have some breakfast?"

A moment's hesitation. "Eggs?"

"Sure, if you want." Rubeus knew the boy with just that one, sleepy word. He'd had the boy over to his hut often enough in the past year. "Come on out, Severus."

Severus looked worse than Rubeus had ever seen him when he did crawl out from under the azelea. He was a naturally thin boy, which never looked quite healthy to Rubeus, but now he looked like a wraith. Wrapped in his school robes and wet through from the previous night's rainstorm, he looked like a half-drowned kitten. His coal-black eyes were dull and blood-shot.

"Lad, what are you doing here?"

Severus looked up at the large front doors of Hogwarts. "I can't get in."

"It's locked. It's all locked up in the summer."

"Oh." Severus sat in the mud and lowered his eyes. His narrow shoulders hunched, as if he were trying to curl into himself.

Rubeus couldn't stand to see anything in pain, be they person or animal. "Why don't you come with me? Got a right nice fire built up and we'll heat up some water so you can have yourself a bath - wash that mud off." Rubeus knelt down and held a hand out, but Severus cringed away. "Hey, now." He tried to smile, though he knew something was terribly wrong. "Is only me."

"I know who you are. I'm not stupid." There was no fire in his voice. Young Severus stared at his muddy shoes. "I just…"

Rubeus waited for a moment, but Severus never finished what he'd started to say. "Severus? Come along. Ol' Man's been lonely without you."

"Right." Severus shakily stood up and tried in vain to brush some of the mud from his clothes. "Eggs? That would be nice. Thank you, Mister Hagrid." They walked side-by-side towards Rubeus' hut. Halfway to the hut, with birds singing overhead and a warm morning breeze, Severus said, "My uncle killed them."

It stopped Rubeus cold. "Who?"

"Ma and pop. He killed them." Severus looked up at Rubeus with terrible, empty eyes. "Ma didn't like Uncle Marcus much. They fought. I was scared. I wanted to help, but ma locked the door. I couldn't get out. They were both so angry. There was a crash and yelling. Then… everything went quiet." Severus shivered. "Ma was dead when I came out. Pop… " Severus hugged himself. "I don't know where he is."

Rubeus quickly looked Severus from head to foot. "What about your uncle? Did he hurt you?"

"No. He said Slytherins could be useful. He said he was going to take me to his house, that I'd live with him from now on. He said pop killed ma and ran away. Said pop didn't want me." Severus looked sharply at Rubeus and glared fiercely. "He lied."

"Yeah. I think you're right on that." Rubeus ran a hand over his head and tugged on his beard, wishing he knew the right thing to say. He had to say something. There had to be a right thing to say, but Rubeus wasn't a professor. How was he supposed to deal with this kind of situation? "Don't you worry. I'll send for the headmaster and he'll sort it all out. I'm sure he'll make everything right."

"No," Severus said dully. "I don't want him. I can do this myself."

"Do what?"

Severus spoke calmly without a hint of emotion and that, more than anything, frightened Rubeus. "I'm going to kill Uncle Marcus. May we have toast with the eggs?"

A chill ran down Rubeus's spine. "Toast? Yeah. Sure thing. Got some jam, too."

"I like jam. Strawberry?" Severus stopped walking and looked up, glaring at the sky.

"Yup. And apple jelly."

Severus stared in silence for a long while, so long that Rubeus was worried. "You're very nice to me."

"Well… you're a good boy."

"Maybe. I'm still going to kill my uncle."

"I wish you wouldn't."

"I know. Can we have eggs, now?" Severus' eyes were shining by then. His voice was choked and strained. His long, spidery fingers clenched and unclenched spastically.

Rubeus wanted so badly to make Severus feel better. To feel less like killing people. No child should even think such things. But Rubeus wasn't smart and didn’t know the right words to say. So he put his arm around Severus and they started walking again. "Yeah. We can have those eggs."

They walked a few steps before Rubeus noticed tears streaking down Severus’ face. Severus stopped walking and lowered his face. His shoulders began shaking. "Can I stay with you?" Severus asked, softly. "Just tonight?"

"Sure thing."

Severus sobbed, then. His shoulders shook and he wept bitterly, covering his face with his hands, as if he were afraid to be seen. Rubeus lowered himself to his knees and put his arms around the boy, holding him because he didn't know what else to do.

End Flashback-

What the headmaster was thinking sending poor Severus to that uncle of his every summer was beyond Rubeus. It wasn't right. Severus told Rubeus that he just ran away every year before his uncle could find him and he'd spent the summer just wandering and finding food where he could. Of course, the headmaster was smarter than he was and knew what was for the best, but it sat so wrong with Rubeus.

"He's in shock, Hagrid," the headmaster had said when Rubeus had told Dumbledore what Severus had told him. "The poor boy doesn't know what he's saying. Don't worry. There's absolutely no evidence that Marcus Prince has killed anyone. He's got Severus' best interests at heart. If he wanted to, you know he could just come here and take Severus out of school, but he doesn't. He wants Severus to get a good education." The headmaster patted Rubeus' arm. "It's all for the best. Trust me."

Rubeus even tried to take Severus, himself. "I'll take him in myself. If Mister Prince wants what's best for Severus, he can't want the lad wandering homeless all summer. Let Severus stay with me. Right smart lad like him… he'll think it's a treat to help me out with the chores."

But the headmaster had shaken his head. "Mister Prince isn't willing to allow anyone custody of his only nephew and keeps hoping Severus will understand that it’s in his best interest to stay with him. All that aside, the law is very clear. Children belong to their families and Mister Prince is Mister Snape’s only family."

"But…"

"There is nothing you can do. Mister Snape must go with his uncle."

Rubeus trusted headmaster Dumbledore - he was a good, honest man - but he was wrong. Rubeus knew the headmaster was wrong and he knew Severus was in danger every summer and there seemed to be nothing he could do to help. Severus didn't even want his help.

"I won't have you getting involved," Severus had told Rubeus, firmly. "I can take care of myself. You stay here and I'll see you in the autumn. Trust me. I'm strong." He'd looked straight at Rubeus with a determined expression. "Uncle Marcus is dangerous. I don't want you to be hurt."

At least, that Mister Prince didn't make a fuss about Severus staying at Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays. For the past two Christmas', Severus had spent the week at school and Christmas morning with Rubeus. Undoubtedly, it wasn't as good a Christmas as the boy deserved, but it was all Rubeus could give. A tree, a fat goose, and some presents. What was Christmas without presents? Nice warm mittens, a book he was certain the boy would appreciate, and a pet.

The pet slept in a basket by the fire and Rubeus checked on it again before getting ready to leave for his duties. She woke with a yawn, showing off rows of tiny, needle-sharp teeth, when Rubeus took the lid off the top of her basket. Her large black eyes blinked up at him, somewhat disapprovingly, and she flicked her fluffy tail. The kit let out a squeaking noise, then lay her head back down to return to her nap.

"Oh, right you are. Just get your sleep now. A few days more and you'll meet a new friend. I'm sure you'll like him." Rubeus laughed to himself as he put the lid back on the basket. She was beautiful and - if he was any judge of animals - a smart little thing. Severus would adore her. Every child should have a pet.

Rubeus spent a few hours doing chores around his home before he got ready to go out to fetch the trees. He set out some beef for Ol' Man before he got dressed to go on a tree hunt. Huge boots were first, then his long, shaggy coat, and woolen hat. He wasn't as vulnerable to cold as regular humans, but Rubeus knew he had the potential to be in the forest for hours and even he couldn't underestimate the cold. He filled his large pockets with some bread and a few bites of smoked ham to tide him over until he was able to get a decent meal. He planned to be out for most of the day just finding the trees he wanted for the Great Hall as well as for the four Houses. If he had time, he would bring some greenery home for himself and make a few wreathes.

Outside his hut, Rubeus stopped almost as soon as he'd closed the door behind him. Still on the front step, Rubeus froze and raised his face a little. He drew in a deep breath. Smoke. A quick look around was all it took. There were great plumes of smoke rising from one of the greenhouses.

Rubeus ran, he dropped his ax in the snow. Rubeus was not meant for running. He lumbered as quickly as he could to the greenhouse where hoards of students watched it burn, huddled together in little groups. All of them were wide-eyed with fear.

"Get back!" Rubeus bellowed, waving at them with his hands to shoo the students further away from danger. "All of you, now. Back to the castle and someone get the Headmaster!"

"I think I can handle my own emergencies!" Professor Shell snapped. He was a bad tempered man and thought very well of himself. He looked at the students then. "Well? Get the headmaster. All of you to the castle!"

The greenhouse was far enough from everything that letting it burn wouldn't do any damage, but Rubeus worried all the same. "Shouldn't you do something?" Rubeus asked the Herbology professor. Even if there wasn't a spell to put out fires, there was a whole lake full of water and Rubeus was sure a simple floating spell would have the fire put out in no time.

"If you're as useless as that," Professor Shell glared at Rubeus. "Then leave. No we can't just put it out without planning! Imagine the damage to my plants!"

Rubeus blinked and suppressed a groan. Sometimes, the professors confounded him. The plants were likely already destroyed. "Everyone got out?"

"Yes, yes. Of course." Professor Shell waved the question aside. "I just know it was that Snape boy!"

Rubeus frowned and tensed. "What's that?"

"He was causing a fuss. He'd managed to get some Vulcan Tears splashed on his face and he panicked. Honestly, a simple visit to the hospital wing would have cleared it up. You'd think he wasn't paying attention last week in class. Really, if he would have just calmed down it could have been quickly settled, but he struggled and fought and he probably knocked something over that set the fire."

Rubeus knew young Severus could get himself into a right tizzy when rubbed the wrong way, but he also knew that Severus was careful and level-headed most of the time. More than anything, he knew that Vulcan Tears, a sap harvested from the Fireweed, hurt like anything on skin contact. If it had gotten on his face… "Well, what happened to him? Where is he? I didn't see him in the crowd."

"Took off somewhere, I should think. Even before the fire, he was actually punching holes in my greenhouse. The audacity!" His attention was suddenly off Rubeus and he rushed away. "Headmaster! You've got to do something! My plants!"

Rubeus didn't listen. He looked around at the students, most of them moving back to the castle, but didn't see the skinny, black-haired Severus. It would have been like Severus to hang about to watch the blaze. If he'd caused it - which was very unlikely - he would have put it out. Severus was such a clever lad.

The fire was put out easily and the students all returned safely to the castle. The headmaster and professor Shell followed them back and soon it was only Rubeus standing alone near the greenhouse.

‘Not right. Something's not right.’ He looked around at the smoldering greenhouse, the distant castle, then at the forest. He looked up at the dark sky then down at his feet. ‘He's not here. He wouldn't run away. If he'd done something wrong, he'd come to me. I know he would’ve. He’s not here and he wasn’t with the other students.’ Rubeus looked at a broken pane of glass where professor Shell had said Severus had punched through. ‘That glass is two inches thick. I helped set it in place. Severus can't have broken it.’ Rubeus walked around the smoldering greenhouse, frowning, pulling lightly on his beard. ‘Severus isn't that strong. No one here is, except me. He absolutely can't have broken that glass without a spell and Professor Shell said he punched it. Something's not right.’

Tenten-  
In the Forbidden Forest-

High in the tree they'd chosen as their base, Tenten had delivered Uchiha to Haruno-san. Haruno-san hadn't hesitated before putting her hands on either side of Uchiha's face and when he'd flinched at the touch, Haruno-san had whispered comfortingly and stroked his cheeks.

‘Once upon a time, any girl of Konohagakure would have killed to have their hands on his face. Now, they turn away from him when he walks down the street. They wouldn't want to be within ten feet of him.’ Tenten thought it was rather sad.

Haruno-san's little hands glowed with power as she brushed across his wounds. There were minor scratches from the run though the forest when he'd stumbled because he didn't trust Tenten to lead him. There were more serious injuries - deep cuts over his forearms and one across his forehead where glass from the greenhouse had cut him upon his escape from the fire. The pale green power emanating from Sakura's hands was gentle and powerful, erasing Uchiha's wounds as if they'd never been.

Tenten couldn't look away from the scene, but she did keep her distance and stood on a branch several meters away. It was strangely intimate. She'd never seen anyone so close to Uchiha before they'd started this mission. It wasn't just Haruno-san. Tenten had seen Uchiha sitting very close to Uzumaki and whispering this or that. Uzumaki sometimes laughed hysterically, nodded, shook his head silently, or whispered back. She'd watched Uchiha fall asleep actually leaning on Hatake-san's shoulder.

Tenten watched Haruno-san peer into Uchiha's eyes. Uchiha should have been executed. She didn’t want him to be killed, but it would have been a sensible thing to do. The ANBU should have dispatched him without a second thought. Instead, he was given back to his Cell and was on parole.

Whether that was a kindness or not, Tenten hadn't decided. 

It wasn't as if it was much of a life. Uchiha spent time with no one but Umino-sensei outside his Cell. He rarely ventured out of Umino-sensei's home. He seemed to be in a constant state of depression and when, on very rare occasions, he did have to leave the safety of his Cell, he was subject to stares and insults. So far as Tenten knew, no one had dared to try their hand against him - disgraced or not, he was still an Uchiha. He lived without honor and the constant knowledge that he had ruined his family's name. Surely, death would have been kinder.

"Did that liquid have a scent?" Haruno-san asked Uchiha. "A taste? Anything?"

Uchiha licked his burned lips. "Sweet. Like honey."

Haruno-san pursed her lips and drummed her fingers on her knee. Finally, she let out a growl. "I'm not Tsunade-sama. I don't dare try to heal you. I'm sorry, Sasuke. I think I might be able to heal your eyes, but I'm just not sure."

"I trust you."

"I don't. Eyes are complicated. YOUR eyes are even more complicated. I could do more damage than good. I could permanently destroy what's left of your eyes. I could ruin your sharigan and then…" She let her voice trail away, but the meaning was clear.

Without the sharigan, Uchiha had little value to the village. He would likely be kept at the village as nothing more than - Tenten grimaced at the phrase that sprung to her mind - a breeder. After all, if he fathered children who also possessed the sharigan he would help strengthen the village. He wouldn’t be able to perform missions if he was blind and had no other skills other than those of a shinobi. The Hokage was a good person and wouldn’t force Uchiha to produce children, but if he were unable to perform missions, what else was there for him to? How else could he serve the village?

"We've tried washing out your eyes, but it did no good. I think," Haruno-san bit her cheek, uncertainly. "I think you may have to return to that school and allow them to treat you. They surely know more about whatever was thrown on your face than I do." She shook her head and looked in the direction of the school. "But if they find the sharigan… they might…. I don't know enough about how they work their healing. Damn it! I don't know enough about the sharigan!"

"Sorry," Uchiha didn't lower his face. "No one ever told me much about it."

Tenten didn't know how the Uchiha's had ordered their clan, but she did know a bit about the Hyuugas and suspected that they were similar. The Hyuugas never sought medical attention from the medi-nins, if they could prevent it. Instead, injured Hyuugas were almost always returned to the Hyuuga estate where they were treated by their own family. Most likely, the Uchiha Clan had intended to educate Uchiha about the sharigan when he showed signs of it. Sadly, his power had developed long after they'd all been murdered which meant that Uchiha might never learn important secrets about the sharigan unless, somehow, Hatake-san, with his stolen sharigan eye, knew something or Uchiha Itachi suddenly turned back into a doting big brother and turned up to give lessons.

Both cases were unlikely.

Tenten jumped to the branch where Uchiha and Haruno-san were, causing Uchiha to start. He tensed and reached out suddenly to take hold of Haruno-san's arm. "I think we need approval before this goes further. I'll find Gai-sensei and Hatake-san. Stay here."

She ran through the forest without fear, but wishing the communicators worked. What a lot of trouble it was to be without them. With the communicators she would have easily been able to recall Gai-sensei to base or simply get his advice about what to do. As it was, Tenten didn't believe in brooding on things she couldn't change. So she ran and knew Gai-sensei would see her long before she saw him. He was a greatly underestimated man.

Before too long, Tenten came upon Neji and Uzumaki. Uzumaki was crouched on the ground behind heavy brush while Neji stood in the branches of a concealing tree. They were watching a herd of centaurs. Tenten landed on the branch next to Neji and stared. She'd never seen centaurs before. Of course, she'd heard of them, but she'd never actually seen one. Magnificent creatures, they were, too. All of them, even the females, were heavily muscled, graceful, and powerful.

"Why are you here?" Neji whispered.

"I need Gai-sensei. Have you seen him?"

"To the west."

Tenten still didn't move for a moment. The centaurs were talking amongst themselves while younger ones played, running round in circles. "How's it going with your partner?" Tenten gestured to Uzumaki below.

Neji scowled. "He is not my partner. We happen to be forced to be in the same place, at the same time, during the same mission. There is no other relationship."

"So stubborn. Keep that up and he'll hate you."

"Good. I already hate him."

It was all because of Hinata, though the sweet girl probably didn't know there was any ill feeling between Neji and Uzumaki. Gentle Hinata, who would have been more at home in a flower garden than in battle, was very nearly the center of Neji's life. Both Tenten and Lee knew that Neji would die for his cousin, Hinata. Everything that affected Hinata affected Neji to some degree. He worried if she caught ill or if she was bullied. He worried if he thought she was getting too skinny and he'd worried when Umino-sensei had announced the Cell Hinata would join. He was fiercely protective and ruthless when it came to Hinata’s safety and happiness.

It was that protectiveness that had made Neji hate Naruto. At the chuunin exams, Uzumaki had cheered for Hinata until she'd forced the fight between herself and Neji. He had wanted Hinata to bow out of the fight. He'd wanted her to leave before anyone could lay hands on her. Instead, Uzumaki had encouraged her and Neji had been forced to go against her. He certainly couldn't lose, though he wouldn't have told that to Hinata. The reason would only have made her worry.

"Her father would have had me replaced if I’d failed the exams," Neji had bitterly told Tenten and Lee. "He said he would find another - a more competent - guard if I were to shame the Clan by losing to anyone at the chuunin exams. Losing to Hinata… he would have known I’d lost deliberately."

He couldn't throw the fight and he couldn't just walk away. So Neji had fought, the last thing he'd wanted to do. He’d been so desperate to save her from fighting anyone who might kill her that he’d hurt her so badly enough that she couldn’t compete any further, but no so badly that she wouldn’t make a full recovery. As in everything he did, Neji had been very careful, very precise in every injury he’d inflicted.

Tenten asked, "Are the centaurs important?"

"Maybe. They don't like humans. I would count them as a very real threat." Neji refocused on the centaurs. "Why do you need Gai-san?"

"Uchiha's been injured."

Below them, Uzumaki looked up sharply. His eyes widened with worry and he inched his way away from the centaurs. Within seconds, he was in the tree with them. "What happened?"

"Keep your voice down!" Neji snapped.

Uzumaki snarled at him before he looked at Tenten. "Well?"

"You heard me the first time. His eyes are injured. Haruno-san is looking after him. I have to find Gai-sensei and tell him what's happened."

Uzumaki nodded briskly and started back to the base without waiting for Neji.

"At least Uchiha's cellmates are worried for him. That's one good thing he's got going for him."

Neji grunted. "His fate is… dark."

"You’re always so pessimistic. He's been doing all right since he got back to the village."

"He went to Orochimaru of his own free will. After he'd been cursed. After his Cell had been attacked. After he knew how dangerous Orochimaru is. After all that, he STILL went willingly." Neji's face was like stone. "He cannot be trusted."

"I know. I know. You've said the same thing a dozen times since this mission began. You know," Tenten gave him a teasing smile. "Maybe it's his fate to be forgiven. Are you going after your partner?"

"I would trade him for Lee in a heartbeat," Neji told her, firmly. "Though he is just as loud, Lee is far more sensible. Still, I suppose I must follow." He looked again in the direction Uzumaki had gone. "Be safe."

"Be safe." Tenten smiled after Neji. When she was alone, Tenten paused. The sky had grown dark with clouds. It was just warm enough that instead of snow, there was rain in the air. Tenten smiled, despite the stress of the mission and Uchiha's accident. She didn't like this mission. There were too many unknowns - about the school and about magic in general - as well as too many knowns - Uchiha's treachery, the anger between Uzumaki and Neji, and Lee's separation from the Cell. She hated the idea of the Cell being separated. How was she supposed to know that Lee was taking care of himself? He was so careless about his own well-being. Despite all that worry, Tenten smiled at the clouds.

Rain was coming.

She could feel it, heavy against her skin. It was coming.

Coming.

The first raindrop struck Tenten's nose and caused a brilliant smile to light her face. Joyfully, she sprung from where she'd stood with Neji to another tree. She loved the rain.

Flashback-

They stood together at father's remembrance. Rain fell steadily while what few friends father and mother had gathered together. The somber atmosphere was made worse by the cold. Mother didn't look at the photograph of father set up at the front of the room. She didn't even look at Tenten. Instead, she stared out the window at the falling rain. Her fingertips grazed across the glass and she stared. People around her talked and she stared, entranced by each falling drop of water.

"The ANBU took his body and gave it to the medi-nins," Tenten heard someone whisper. "They've never had a shinobi from Mist to study, let alone with a Bloodline Limit. It could come in handy."

"I suppose. Seems a cruel thing to do, though. They've been here for ten years. It's almost like they're one of us."

"Don't be absurd."

"What about the girl?"

"At least she was born here," the whisperer said, somewhat indifferently. "We'll see how she turns out. She'll begin in the Academy shortly."

"That's not what I mean. Has she shown any signs of the family's bloodline limit?"

"No. Not that I've heard. She's only ten. There's still time. Many Uchiha's don't show until they're thirteen. You know that's the only reason the Hokage allowed them to stay." The woman snorted in derision. "They're missing nin, no better than any other criminal. If they hadn't promised the Hokage a child, well…"

Tenten knew that she was the reason why her parents had been allowed sanctuary in Konohagakure. Her parents had promised the Hokage a child that would carry the Bloodline Limit of the family. With the promise of another clan like the Hyuugas and Uchihas, Tenten's parents had been allowed the safety of the village after their own village had turned against them. So many people had been killed, Tenten's father had once told her, simply because they'd been born with the Bloodline Limit.

Tenten leaned closer to her mother, but her mother stared at the falling rain.

They wouldn't get father's body back, Tenten knew. By the time the medi-nins were finished, there wouldn't be much left, anyway. What was left, the ANBU would dispose of.

"Mother?" Tenten whispered, fearful of drawing attention to herself. "Mother, I want to leave."

"Go." Her mother didn't so much as look at her, but Tenten was thankful. Her mother had never seemed so far away.

No one paid Tenten much attention as she left, quietly making her way out of the large living room and then out of the house. She liked rain. She'd always liked rain. It was calm, a steady beat against her skin. Tenten stood for a moment on the front step of her home. She heard the muffled voices from inside and she saw, when she turned her head to the window, her mother's hand pressed against the window. Tenten raised her face and let the rain beat down on her. 

Soothing. 

It was almost enough to wash away the pain.

End Flashback-

Tenten smiled again at the cold rain and set off.

There were people in the forest. Tenten paused when she found them. It was near the edge of the forest where eight people - all of them dressed in black robes - huddled together. She almost kept moving passed them as it was so important to get help for Uchiha, but Tenten did linger for a moment.

"Are you sure about this?”

"Just keep your eyes open. We don't need any trouble. This mission is dangerous enough." That speaker kept glancing uneasily around, clearly afraid of the forest.

"Don't tell me you buy into that nonsense about the headmaster. He's a saintly old man, a threat to no one! This is such a waste of time. I can't believe our talents are being wasted on watching a harmless school. This is insulting."

"You're the one spouting nonsense. Don't you ever read memos?"

The argument went round in circles for a long while, but it was easy enough to see what was going on. The local government had sent these people to spy on the school or, rather, the headmaster of the school.

There was a slight movement to the left and Tenten left her hiding spot. The movement had been a deliberate attempt to get her attention. She found Gai-sensei and Hatake-san a short distance from the men. Hatake-san, as always, looked rather bored and barely moved when Tenten went to stand with them. “Problem, sensei.”

At once, all three of them left their observation spot and went a distance away so they could speak without fear of discovery.

Hatake-san’s attention, like Uzumaki's, was quickly seized when Tenten spoke and told them about Uchiha.

He closed his book and tucked it inside his vest. "Gai, we've heard enough here?"

"For now. They seem to be ready to stay for a fair time. We can come back after you've seen to your Cell."

Hatake-san left as quickly as Uzumaki had, leaving Tenten with Gai-sensei. "Gai-sensei?"

"Yes?"

Tenten wasn't sure it was any of her business. After all, it wasn't her decision to allow Uchiha a second chance, nor was he part of her Cell. She was curious, however, and this might be the only opportunity to ask Gai-sensei without any of Cell 7 around. "Sir, is this really wise? Putting the mission in Uchiha's hands?"

Gai-sensei gave her a disapproving frown and lightly smacked the top of her head. "That's Uchiha-SAN, my dear kunoichi. Don't forget your manners."

"Sorry, sir. Forgive me for asking, but is this really a good idea? Uchiha-san, I mean."

"You don't trust him?"

Tenten shook her head. "It's not that. After all, he's been back six months and he's caused no trouble. He secludes himself in Umino-sensei's home when he's not with his Cell. Tsunade-sama trusts him." And as far as Tenten was concerned, Tsunade-sama always knew best. "It's nothing to do with trust. He'll do his job to the best of his ability, I believe. What worries me is Orochimaru's interest in him. This is the first time Uchiha-san's been out of the village since his rescue. Orochimaru might have been waiting for this opportunity to get at him."

"Orochimaru had no difficulty getting into Konohagakure during the chuunin exams when security had been dramatically increased." Gai-sensei shook his head. "He can get to Uchiha-san any time he wishes."

"Do you know what happened to Uchiha-san when he went to Orochimaru?"

His stern look was enough to make Tenten regret that she'd asked. "I do. Kakashi and I are very close. We tell each other almost everything. You'll forgive me when I say that what happened to young Uchiha-san is not your concern and I’ll ask that you leave the subject alone."

"Yes, sir." 

“Good girl.” Gai-san smiled, then, and gave her a not-so-gentle push on the back to encourage her to move. "Let’s go see how things are going. You can play in the rain when the mission is over."

Tenten blushed and nodded. Of course he knew of her love for the rain, Gai-sensei made a point of knowing everything about his Cell. Tenten reached upward with cupped hands and caught some of the rain. She brought her hands down and rubbed the water onto her already soaking face. "It makes me feel alive."

Gai-sensei laughed - though softly for the sake of the men nearby. "Perhaps your blood is starting to wake?"

Tenten shook her head. "After all this time? No. My parents bloodline limit ends with them. My mother told me that I should have shown signs of it before my twelfth birthday."

"You're only fourteen. That's not really so far from twelve."

"The women of our family always showed early signs. I hardly think of it, anymore." She pulled out a kunai and tossed it easily, pinning a fat squirrel to the tree it had been running on. She had barely had to look at the squirrel before she'd thrown. Tenten never missed her mark. As they moved passed, Tenten collected both her kunai and the squirrel. "One should be content with one's talents, I say." She held the squirrel by the tail and kept the kunai in hand as she looked for other tasty things to have for dinner. Rations wouldn't last long, after all.

Sasuke-

Sasuke stiffened when he felt the hands touched him.

"It's only me," Kakashi-sensei said, running his fingers around Sasuke's eyes. The touch hurt, but Sasuke didn't flinch. "The skin around your eyes, nose, and mouth are burned. Whatever that stuff was, it was potent."

His hands were warm, like Iruka-sensei's. Sasuke tried not to think about the others watching. Bad enough to be so weak in front of Sakura and Naruto, but it shamed him deeply that Cell 9 saw him so crippled.

"I'm going to pull your eyelid up, Sasuke. I want to get a better look. Don't move. Gai, come here. Tell me what you think."

There was the pulling and Sasuke forced himself to be still, though he felt the breath of both men on his face. Maito-san was too close. Too close by far. Sasuke wanted to pull away, but Naruto was behind him with hands on his shoulders. He wouldn't look cowardly in front of his Cell.

"Like milk over the eye. Almost, but not quite, like the Hyuuga eyes," Maito-san commented. "Can you activate the sharigan?"

Sasuke did and was greatly relieved that he could see more. His vision still wasn't perfect, but it was more than just the blanket of white.

Kakashi-sensei sounded pleased when he said, "It's there. It's active. Like a candle behind frosty glass. Can you see anything?"

"Shadows. I can see… blobs of chakra. Like shadows at night, darkness against dark. I can see movement, but no details." It was unreal and terrifying. Sasuke feared nothing more than losing control of his own body and, even more nightmarish, was the loss of his invaluable eyes. Without his eyes he had no future. "They called it Vulcan Tears."

"Ah."

"You've heard of it?"

"It can be healed, I've heard. This is good," Kakashi-sensei said. It gave Sasuke reason to hope. "I expect it only affected your normal vision. The sharigan is intact and you have control of it. Gai?"

Gai-san hesitated a moment. "He is part of your Cell. I will leave the decision to you."

Kakashi-sensei patted Sasuke's shoulder. "Sasuke, are you able to continue the mission?"

‘Don't let me shame them.’ "Yes, sensei."

Kakashi-sensei patted Sasuke's shoulder. "Then the mission continues. You’ll go back to the school and allow them to heal you."

To be continued…


End file.
